The Way
Touching, funny, scenic, and meaningful, The Way is a unique take on the road trip/adventure film as it finds Tom (Charlie Sheen) going to France to retrieve the body of his estranged son, Daniel (Emilo Estevez), who has recently died completing the pilgrimage known as “El Camino de Santiago”. The Camino de Santiago is 500 mile walk that encompasses 3 countries and takes roughly 35 days to complete. After arriving in France, Tom takes it upon himself to complete the walk as an homage to his son. Played by real life father son actors, there is an evident authenticity in the portrayal of a stern father, Sheen, and his wayward son Daniel. The estrangement of their relationship is told in flashbacks, and as Tom’s walk progresses we see the full scope of their relationship and slowly feel the softening and grief within Tom’s heart. But although this plot sets up for film for of gloom and sadness, the real appeal of this film and its most successful trait, is it’s ability to find the laughter and lighthearted moments that are often so desperately needed in grief-filled moments.
Tom reluctantly meets up with 3 fellow “pilgrims” who are each walking for their own reason. Naturally the grieving Tom wants to be alone, but through the banter and camaraderie of the others, he starts opening up to the experience, and together they recognize how each of them is using the walk to symbolize the search for greater meaning in their lives. The visuals in this film are striking, and Estevez paces the film steadily so that the tediousness that can accompany a long walk is never felt. His deft handling of the ample scenery allows him to shift scenes and angles as the group walks, and as the viewer it allows your own mind to wander slightly, wander and wonder what it would be like to walk with them. The chemistry and dialogue between each “pilgrim” is sharp and witty, without being annoying, and although it can be easy to tread too far into heavy themes and rely on the tragicness of death to convey emotion, this film allows you to experience every emotion, much like you would taking your own long walk. I feel the best way to describe this film, is that it will likely have you researching and planning your own pilgrimage as soon as it ends.
Director: Emilo Estevez
Starring: Emilo Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Deborah Kara Unger
Runtime: 123 minutes Year Released: 2010