“The way” is a film written and directed by Emilio Estevez, set on the famous “The Way to Santiago”.
As you can guess from the name, the story is mainly set on the ancient way to Santiago de Compostela, an important pilgrimage destination for more than a thousand years. The protagonist is Thomas “Tom” Avery, an American doctor whose son, Daniel, suddenly passes away in the Pyrenees during the first leg of the pilgrimage.
The character difference between father and son is one of the most thought-provoking threads while watching the film. While Daniel feels the need to explore the world and to always be able to “choose” the circumstances of life that he faces, Tom has a more sedentary and traditionalist view of the world. An established doctor in the city, Tom does not understand Daniel’s needs because he has perhaps never been in his condition.
The decision to undertake the Camino in his son’s place, once he arrives in France to recognize the body, is perhaps the result of the curiosity of a father who does not know that this desire for adventure is not an end in itself, but is part of a broader feeling that constantly pushes Daniel in search of something. A feeling that constitutes the most authentic part of Daniel’s mind, the one that no one can do without without without distorting his own person.
As he walks, Tom will discover a world that has always been hidden from him. A world made up of people, of stories that intertwine, of more or less pleasant chance encounters. He will be grumpy and reserved at first, until the moment when he can no longer resist his neighbor and opens himself up completely to the pilgrim with whom he is sharing the Road.
During his personal Camino de Santiago, Tom will then meet other pilgrims from all over the world, each with their own problems and the common hope of giving meaning to their lives:
Joost, from Amsterdam (wants to walk the path in hopes of losing weight),
Sarah, from Canada (she wants to quit smoking, but it turns out that she is looking for something else in the path)
Jack, from Ireland (a writer in search of inspiration, who will write a book in which he will also tell the stories of his traveling companions).
Together, the four pilgrims walk the Way of St. James until they reach the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, from here they decide to continue by reaching the ocean to the church of Muxia.
In front of the Ocean of Muxia Thomas, who had already had visions of his son along the way, has a new vision of his son and decides to throw the ashes into the ocean.
At the end of the journey Tom understands the deep motivations that had moved his son on each journey.”The Way” is a nice film. Not great, not urgent, but quietly positive!!!
