Wayfinder

The feature debut of artist Larry Achiampong, Wayfinder follows a young woman known simply as the Wanderer (Perside Rodrigues) as she travels from the north of England to the south, exploring a range of locales and bearing witness to a variety of different stories and people during her journey. The tales she hears on her travels touch on several injustices and inequalities, painting an uncertain picture of the future she walks towards.

Wayfinder is a very interesting film in its writing, structure and cinematography, eschewing conventional forms of storytelling in favour of establishing a specific ambience, placing narrative significance on the journey itself rather than anything at its terminus. Besides appearances from Mataio Austin Dean as singer “The Griot” and sprinter Anita Neil (Britain’s first black female Olympic athlete) as herself, the Wanderer is alone on her trek, with only her narration breaking the silence as she walks through seemingly abandoned buildings and empty neighbourhoods and she reckons with the tragic tales that persevere in these lonely locales. 

There’s something of the mythic about the way the Wanderer’s journey is framed, mixing sweeping shots of gorgeous natural environments and intimate shots that expose the unusual in the mundane. This contrasts with the ugly truth of prejudice and inequality in the UK, as conveyed through the narration, adding some weight to the comprehensive exploration of social injustice throughout.

The film’s unique style does result in it feeling somewhat unfocused; the pacing is confident but uncompromising, with a runtime of just under an hour and a half that feels significantly longer at points. Despite this, there’s enough variance in the locations, and the narration is just structured enough that the experience of accompanying the Wanderer on her trek is more endearing than it is frustrating.

Wayfinder is a charmingly offbeat and thought-provoking film, combining insightful and poetic commentary with sumptuous cinematography to create a unique and often haunting atmosphere. It’s a film that’s not focused on a destination, instead being content with the journey, and it makes no concessions for viewers who don’t resonate with its storytelling style, but for audience members patient enough to travel with the Wanderer, there’s an engaging cinematic experience to be had.

Umar Ali

Wayfinder is released in select cinemas on 1^st July 2022.

Watch the trailer for Wayfinder here: