Review of The Way (2010) by Michael W — 10 Jul 2012

Emilio Estevez directs his father in this poignant film of a relationship between father and son and unexpected strangers that often prod us to examine ourselves from different eyes. The father is not the son and the son is not the father, and that expresses much of the angst and tension between two people with differing views on the world and their goals or purpose in it. When the experiences of the son differ from the father and the age which they matured-in differs, we anticipate the clash that comes from such contrasting backgrounds; yet, both share similar intellect, logic, even if, they canâ(TM)t come into harmony with that logic cloaked by their different historical experiences. The moments of contention are shot in retrospective as father and son disagree on the meaning and purpose of life. Martin Sheen has worked in the same field of dentistry for many years and his son is content to follow in the footsteps of the romantic sojourners apt to take in all of lifeâ(TM)s destination points and not call anything home for long.

Upon learning of the loss of his son in a storm, Martin Sheen (who plays Tom), goes to France to get the remains of his son. The drama soon turns to a solo adventure towards Camino de Santiago or The Way of Saint James. Tom heads out to make this long walk for his son and at times with his son. He too, for a moment, shares in the riches of his sonâ(TM)s romanticism by forsaking his life at home. He soon is joined by some uninvited guests who have, of course, a story of their own and different reasons for taking this trek. And the more Tom goes in his shell, the more he reconciles himself that it is often via friends or even strangers that latent sorrows entrenched are drawn out, never meant to be carried in solitude. And these forming relationships carve out the soul of the film. We struggle together better in communion not as isolated souls; we hurt in private and then come out to hurt and heal in fellowship.

The Way is a film to remember. It is not loaded with the usual Hollywood gimmicks, regurgitated stories and sleight-of-hand computer generations, offering instead, a deep look at the inner workings of the soul, relationships, and the love of a father for his son. The characters are earth-level, relatable people who have sinned and fallen short. The spirituality of the film is present throughout and while the faith of some of the characters has waned and/or been lost, it becomes apparent that St. James can warm even the hardest of skeptics in the end. And after all, a saint is one to know suffering and solitude better than anyone, but also the joy that can come through it, contrasted from it, rising above it. Saint James, walk the way with us.