The way.

Some people love this movie. Some people hate it. I personally think that “The way” is a fantastic travel movie.

Movies about traveling are always interesting for me. I have been on the road for 3 decades, so it’s very much a part of my life too. Many travel movies suck though. Even if they are about travel.  But I absolutely love the movie called “The way”. Directed by Emilio Estevez.

It’s about an American eye doctor, played by Martin Sheen, who walks the camino. He walks it because his son died in an accident while attempting to walk the camino to Santiago. He does it as a form of spiritual healing and speeds his sons ashes along the way. That of course has it’s touching moments in the movie.

But the movie is also very much about the quirky characters he meets along the way and ends up walking with. This is the part that O personally really like. I have walked the camino myself, as a non believer. And what I probably liked the most about the walk was all the people from different walks of life that you meet. Many of them slightly weird in a fascinating way. Be ware that it’s less than half the camino walkers who do this walk for religious reasons these days.

I have walked the Camino myself.

The main character ends up doing the walk with a Canadian woman who has come out of a abusive relationship and is quite bitter with life in general. A very annoying Irish writer, who wants to write a book about the camino. And a Dutch guy who is walking the camino in order to lose weight. Cause he wants to be able to fit in to his old suit for his brothers upcoming wedding. Walking the camino is after all cheaper than buying a new suit :-). The Dutch guy is a brilliant stereotype of a Dutchman. A big friendly and jovial guy who is sometimes so loud and pushy that it get’s really annoying. I know it’s a stereotype and all Dutch are not like that. But it’s one of the best stereotypes I have ever seen on film :-). I am saying that after having met a few hundred Dutch people around the world, over the past 3 decades.

It’s very much a feel good movie. But I like how it mixes being serious and funny. And a movie about people on the road is just more likely to be interesting, than a movie about someone having to blow up and shoot several hundred people during 90 minutes.

Criticism of “The way”

I have been reading a lot of reviews after seeing the movie 3 times now. And while most people really like it, som do not like this movie. I see people who have walked the camino for religious reason being annoyed that the camino walkers in the movie are mostly a bunch of weirdos. But as a neutral pilgrim I can assure you that the majority of pilgrim walkers are a little weird. I am one of them myself :-).

Many people walk the camino, not as a religious journey. But as a spiritual one. And these guys are often interesting to hang out with and observe. Some people, like me for instance, do the walk for more cultural reasons. And because we like to stay fit. HEY: Now I start to sound like the fat Dutchman in the movie 🙂

Some also complain about the stereotypes in the movie and that it tells too little about Spanish culture. But as mentioned before, I actually thinks that the stereotypes work here. And the movie is not about Spain really, but about the Camino and those who walk it. I love Spain and spanish culture, but I did not miss it here.

So watch “The way” if you get the chance. It’s considerably better than other popular travel movies like “The beach” and “the motorcycle diaries” if you ask me.

Watch the movie and walk the Camino.