Jason KingTHE WAY: A Review
June 26th 2012 08:06
:
One of the most inspirational films I have ever seen
From director Emilio Estevez and starring father dearest, Martin Sheen, comes a modern-day odyssey - the soulful journey of a man rocked by personal crisis who sets off on an epic mountain trek, thinking he is utterly lost, only to keep bumping into surprise moments of community, companionship and inspiration that begin to steer his way. This spirited road-movie-on-foot crosses territory that is alternately comic, adventurous and keenly moving, even as it becomes an unforeseen gift from a son to his father. Tom (Sheen) is an affluent California doctor who arrives in St. Pied de Port, France to collect the ashes of his venturesome son, Daniel (Estevez), who perished during a freak storm in the Pyrenees Mountains. Arriving in a daze, Tom intends to turn right back around for the home Daniel once dubbed an isolating "bubble" - but at the last minute, he instead makes the most impulsive decision of his carefully ordered life. Following in his son's footsteps, quite literally, Tom begins to walk the 800km Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage that for more than 1000 years has been made by millions of around the world for every conceivable reason, from sheer adventure to searching for answers. Out of shape and out of sorts, Tom stumbles from the trailhead, defiantly on his own. He doesn't want solace, and he's not so sure he believes in salvation. But try as he might to escape, he keeps running into unwanted company - including that of a sarcastic Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) trying to kick the smoking habit, a hefty, hedonistic Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen) wining and dining his way through Spain, and a motor-mouthed Irish author (James Nesbitt) chasing the story that might blast through his writer's block. Step by step, stunning mile after stunning mile, as Tom makes his way through incidents both frightening and funny - from raging rapids to Gypsy encounters - he can't seem to help opening up to the breathtaking landscape, to his unavoidable companions and the new possibilities that now surround him at every turn. Suddenly, his misfit fellow travelers become his truest friends. Memories become his strength. And Tom begins to see that all the comedy, wonder and joy of the journey itself are what he was really after - and that this is just the beginning of going after his destination.
I get most of my education from films, I know it sounds silly but I watch so many movies and learn about so many places, about books, famous people, food, you name it - I have been inspired or educated by most things from films. And this film, THE WAY, holds the key to the most inspiring film I have ever seen. I have just turned the big 40 and have been realising I am in the rut - it's not a horrible life but I am a Mon-Fri worker, I have no savings. I have debt and I have realised I live to work as opposed to the key to happiness which is to work to live. I needed an inspiration, something to move me and to do something in my life that can redefine who I actually am. And thanks to watching this film I found it. As of next September I will be walking the Camino de Santiago for the full 800kms.
For my 40th I got a helping hand with a fund set up from all my friends that will help me reach my goal, the condition of me getting this fund though relies on me saving for it - so I have set a goal, given up smoking and have just made my first deposit towards it and even earned interest
This is a big thing for me - I cannot and never have been able to save - I have been chasing the debt dragon's tail since a stupid youngster with hideous financial intelligence but this is turning around and I am going to own this new life.
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way (Spanish: El Camino de Santiago, Galician: O Camino de Santiago, French: Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, German: Jakobsweg, Basque: Done Jakue bidea) is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. The Way of St. James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned; other major pilgrimage routes include the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where he was buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. The Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Mine is starting in France so I can walk the Pyrenees and also so I can do the Louvre and eat a baguette under the Eiffel Tower while drinking red wine and indulging in amazing cheeses
But enough about me - let's talk about the movie. The film is a beautiful road (without a car) movie and even though the son is dead this is a soul reviving reconciliation film that saves a person's life from doldrums and monotony. The film follows an amazing route and never turns into a scenic tourist film highlighting the beauty of it - it wasn't about the actual Camino it was about the journey and miracle of Tom's Camino salvation. This film is so simplistic but heartfelt you would be heartless not to be taken by it. It's a film I want to hug.
The acting is great. Love them all, my only sadness was there was not more Emilio Estevez - I miss him on film so much - he was such a hero of mine when I was younger. But for his father to play a father who has lost a son played by Estevez you could see the passion and emotion in Sheen's performance - he had enough to draw on - and they did the shoot on the walk and there was even a Camino miracle on the walk - Estevez's son, who served as an associate producer on the film, met his wife-to-be on the walk. The there was James Nesbitt - I love this guy - such a huge onscreen presence and that voice is awesome I also LOVE Deborah Kara Unger - ever since I had my head explode watching The Game back in 1997 I have thought this woman was special. Yorick van Wageningen plays Joost and if I meet someone like him on the walk I am doing the runner He would drive me nuts - but I won't say know to a tote while doing the walk hahaha.
The popular Spanish name for the astronomical Milky Way is El Camino de Santiago. According to a common medieval legend, the Milky Way was formed from the dust raised by travelling pilgrims. Compostela itself means "field of stars". Another origin for this popular name is Book IV of the Book of Saint James which relates how the saint appeared in a dream to Charlemagne, urging him to liberate his tomb from the Moors and showing him the direction to follow by the route of the Milky Way.
The film is one of the most unpretentious films that the whole family could see and love - my parents, my flatmate and tonight another great friend is going to see it on my recommendation and all so far have been raving about it - my parents will join me for one week of walking of the six week pilgrimage due to the film and my step dad has been on crutches for months awaiting a knee operation - the film is his inspiration for his first big walk. For this alone the film gets points but for also being such a great film I award this one a happy 10 out of 10 scallop shells. It is out now in Australia on art house release and in the US I am pretty sure you can get it on DVD. Do yourself a favour and watch it!
I get most of my education from films, I know it sounds silly but I watch so many movies and learn about so many places, about books, famous people, food, you name it - I have been inspired or educated by most things from films. And this film, THE WAY, holds the key to the most inspiring film I have ever seen. I have just turned the big 40 and have been realising I am in the rut - it's not a horrible life but I am a Mon-Fri worker, I have no savings. I have debt and I have realised I live to work as opposed to the key to happiness which is to work to live. I needed an inspiration, something to move me and to do something in my life that can redefine who I actually am. And thanks to watching this film I found it. As of next September I will be walking the Camino de Santiago for the full 800kms.
For my 40th I got a helping hand with a fund set up from all my friends that will help me reach my goal, the condition of me getting this fund though relies on me saving for it - so I have set a goal, given up smoking and have just made my first deposit towards it and even earned interest
This is a big thing for me - I cannot and never have been able to save - I have been chasing the debt dragon's tail since a stupid youngster with hideous financial intelligence but this is turning around and I am going to own this new life.
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way (Spanish: El Camino de Santiago, Galician: O Camino de Santiago, French: Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, German: Jakobsweg, Basque: Done Jakue bidea) is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. The Way of St. James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned; other major pilgrimage routes include the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain where he was buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. The Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Mine is starting in France so I can walk the Pyrenees and also so I can do the Louvre and eat a baguette under the Eiffel Tower while drinking red wine and indulging in amazing cheeses
But enough about me - let's talk about the movie. The film is a beautiful road (without a car) movie and even though the son is dead this is a soul reviving reconciliation film that saves a person's life from doldrums and monotony. The film follows an amazing route and never turns into a scenic tourist film highlighting the beauty of it - it wasn't about the actual Camino it was about the journey and miracle of Tom's Camino salvation. This film is so simplistic but heartfelt you would be heartless not to be taken by it. It's a film I want to hug.
The acting is great. Love them all, my only sadness was there was not more Emilio Estevez - I miss him on film so much - he was such a hero of mine when I was younger. But for his father to play a father who has lost a son played by Estevez you could see the passion and emotion in Sheen's performance - he had enough to draw on - and they did the shoot on the walk and there was even a Camino miracle on the walk - Estevez's son, who served as an associate producer on the film, met his wife-to-be on the walk. The there was James Nesbitt - I love this guy - such a huge onscreen presence and that voice is awesome
I also LOVE Deborah Kara Unger - ever since I had my head explode watching The Game back in 1997 I have thought this woman was special. Yorick van Wageningen plays Joost and if I meet someone like him on the walk I am doing the runner He would drive me nuts - but I won't say know to a tote while doing the walk hahaha.
The popular Spanish name for the astronomical Milky Way is El Camino de Santiago. According to a common medieval legend, the Milky Way was formed from the dust raised by travelling pilgrims. Compostela itself means "field of stars". Another origin for this popular name is Book IV of the Book of Saint James which relates how the saint appeared in a dream to Charlemagne, urging him to liberate his tomb from the Moors and showing him the direction to follow by the route of the Milky Way.
The film is one of the most unpretentious films that the whole family could see and love - my parents, my flatmate and tonight another great friend is going to see it on my recommendation and all so far have been raving about it - my parents will join me for one week of walking of the six week pilgrimage due to the film and my step dad has been on crutches for months awaiting a knee operation - the film is his inspiration for his first big walk. For this alone the film gets points but for also being such a great film I award this one a happy 10 out of 10 scallop shells. It is out now in Australia on art house release and in the US I am pretty sure you can get it on DVD. Do yourself a favour and watch it!
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Comment by Dara
I will make this film a priority to watch now.
Thank you, and good luck on your dream
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness