The Way to our hearts, or simply the way Out

The Way is a film by Emilio Estevez, starring his father Martin Sheen that came out last October.  It's about an old man whose son passes away in a bad storm while on a Christian pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees to Galicia across northwest Spain. The old man assumes the pilgrimage, known as El Camino, to fulfill his son's wish and discovers that in doing so he communes with his deceased son and gets to know him in death like he never had in life. 

You can tell it was shot digital and Estevez doesn’t have much of an eye for camera framing or vistas, which is what I look forward to in films where the protagonists spend most of their time traveling, especially when it’s on foot. But the editing is seemless and the characters so odd, disparate and genuine that I found myself being slowly drawn into the mystique of the film. And I’m glad to have found it has one.

Although the slower pacing is not unfamiliar to those of us who have watched European films, I could see it boring anyone who’s not the staunchest of avid film enthusiasts and that’s truly a shame, because this film is worth watching; yes, maybe even more than once. Estevez does know what he’s doing as he builds on the momentum, not necessarily of the plot but, of the emotions behind these characters during the journey with such sincerity and serenity that I did find myself overwhelmed by my own catharsis at the end of the road. What’s great about films like this that can afford to take their time is that you truly feel that you experienced the journey with the characters.

The European actors were well-cast, too. It reminds me of the days when the French auteurs spoke of mise-en-scene and the Italian directors staunchly believed in using non-actors. They were just natural, themselves. It was refreshing. Along the way, Estevez gives us a plain and true look at the provincial Europeans, which I'm personally familiar with but can see how alien it must look to an American audience. So much talk about history and poetry! So many nuances and an entire underground culture of people like the gypsies.

Most importantly, there is an actual story here. I think we've all forgotten what's that like in the past decade with the bombardment of spectacle, CG effects and comic book recreations on the big screen. We get so used to lunacy bubble-wrapped in THX noise and 3D-o-rama that watching a film with a beginning, middle and end feels jaunting, but in a very good way. Estevez says it himself (and I couldn't agree more) that audiences are telling Hollywood they want fresh, new ideas. Kudos to him for taking that risk with this film. It's certainly one I'd want to see with my family and for kids to see as they're growing up.

BOTTOM LINE: Poignant film about loss and reconnecting with one’s own spirituality. The pace is slow but if you like films where a small group of people become fast friends in a journey of mutual commitment, like me, you’re going to love this one!