Ruined for Life: Phoenix Edition

Emilio Estevez directs his father Martin Sheen in The Way, a touching movie about a father whose son dies suddenly as he just began a pilgrimage along El Camino a.k.a. the Way of St James (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Spain. Sheen plays Tom, a grieving suburban father, who is called to Spain to pick up his son’s remains.

Rather than return immediately to the US, Tom feels called to complete his son’s trek and sets out along El Camino planning to distribute his son’s ashes along the way. As the story unfolds, grouchy, taciturn Tom ponders his relationship with is son and meets three other hikers who join him, much to his own displeasure.

The photography is breathtaking and made me want to head out on this 500 mile journey. It seems like a rather jolly endeavor for most. According to the film, you walk along gentle slopes with beautiful vistas; you sleep in hostels, some of which were rather stark and grimy, but you feast on terrific food and wine. Not a bad life, huh?

The central story involved Tom reconciling with his dead son and therein lies the weakness of the film. By the end of the film, I had no better understanding of Daniel, the son, than I did at the start. Tom’s no chatterbox and deflects most questions about his son. When he speaks of his son, it’s in generalities. Daniel becomes a kind of Every Son, because all we know was he rebelled by ending his doctorate studies and taking to the road against his father’s will. Since Daniel was nearly 40 and wasn’t asking his father for anything, this isn’t so bad. Had Tom opened up more with his companions, perhaps the story would have been stronger.

Still El Camino seems to be the star of the film and The Way is a pleasant enough way to experience it.

Related articles

• Following “The Way”: Martin Sheen discusses faith and film (insightscoop.typepad.com)
• The Way (filmfervour.com)
• Making “The Way” His Way | An Interview with Emilio Estevez (insightscoop.typepad.com)
• You should watch this now! Why Netflix should have a sharing option (techi.com)
• My Mind is Running Wild on the Camino de Santiago (passionateaboutpoetryandlife.wordpress.com)
• Camino Art, Burguete (Auritz) Spain (jmeyersforeman.wordpress.com)
• Route Decriptions for El Camino (wikipedia)
• Information on the Way of St. James