The Way (2010)

Directed by Emilio Estevez

In an effort to understand somebody else, you end up learning more about yourself. A father decides to hike the Camino de Santiago after losing his son on the same pilgrimage, joining other travelers who are all on the search for something. 

Letterboxd Rating: ✰✰✰ ½ /5 

Letterboxd Statistics (subject to change): Weighted average of 3.46 stars based on 15,447 ratings. 

Starring: Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, James Nesbitt, Deborah Kara Unger, and Yorick van Wageningen

A recommendation from Dean Beckman himself, so obviously I had to take him up on it! The Way directed by Emilio Estevez starring his father Martin Sheen is a road film centered around the Camino de Santiago, which is a pilgrimage known for its historical and Christian significance. Here is my review: 

What starts as a grief journey for Martin Sheen’s character Tom ends as a journey of rediscovery. I went into this film not knowing much, as I had only heard about it recently and what I heard was good things. I have always liked Emilio Estevez as an actor, and after seeing that he is the director of this movie, I went in with high hopes specifically for the execution of its cinematography, and I was not disappointed. Shot across Spain and France, the landscapes that are shown throughout this film bring it a sense of scale and openness, making cinematography one of the film’s strongest qualities. From rolling hills, mountains, old villages, and roads farther than the eye can see, the shots are immersive and palpable; it feels like we are right there experiencing the pilgrimage along with Tom. I like to think that the film allows the scenery to speak where the dialogue does not, taking the audience along on Tom’s grief journey. While watching, I noticed that the score provided the audience with “road-trip” type songs, featuring folk and alternative tracks from artists such as James Taylor, Alanis Morissette, and Coldplay. These songs were perfectly timed, as Coldplay’s song “Lost!” came up during a scene where Tom must problem solve and get back on track. The score may be a little understated, but I think it adds to the gentleness of the film, as the folk-y melodies compliment the landscape and sentimental tone of the movie. The most prominent underlying theme I noticed while watching The Way was the sense of community that Tom and three other characters on the pilgrimage grew within one another. Tom starts out isolated and closed off, but the strangers he meets teach him that healing can happen through shared experiences. He originally planned to walk the Camino de Santiago on his own terms, but due to unpredictability and companionship, Tom learns how to put his guard down. The film also touches on religion, as the Camino de Santiago is an ultimately religious voyage, but approaches the topic openly instead of assertively, which I liked.

An emotion to describe how this film made me feel would be inspired. Even though the film begins in mourning, it does not become emotionally oppressive or melodrama-esque. It carries sadness, tenderness, and grief appropriately, trusting the landscapes and acts of community to bear the emotional toll. It is slow but comforting in pace as the audience watches Tom connect with fellow travelers and discover what it means to live in someone else’s shoes. With all this in mind, it becomes more than a “road film” but a story about continuing forward through the ins and outs of grief. This film is the embodiment of “human interest” and definitely has my recommendation. 

           

           Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, and Rick Steves on the value of travel