The Way - La route ensemble

... my sons way. Emilio Estevez has shown on numerous occasions, that he seems to be the more sensible one. Then again comparing him to Charlie Sheen (and his recent outbursts nonetheless) would be unfair to his brother. And while Martin Sheen also took on another surname to make it in Hollywood (Charlie and Martin succeeded), Emilio chose to keep his name, even though it may have blocked some doors for him.

For this movie he reunites with his father (not the first time he's directing him, but the toughest shoot he put him through yet). It's a very personal story about loss and finding one's way. The title is apt then and the journey ahead of the characters may be long, but also very insightful. Great acting and great locations make this a movie that will make you sentimental for sure.

This movie exceeded all expectations, which were already very high. All kudos to Emilio Estevez for an excellent screenplay and superb direction. The photography, too, was wonderful. I think this will go down as one of Martin Sheen's best ever performances. He underplays his role (due to Emilio's direction?) which makes it all the stronger. In fact, it's the understated quality of the whole film that makes it very moving. It never descends into sentimentality but you still feel the grief of Martin Sheen's character as he makes the pilgrimage his estranged dead son never completed. At the same time, there are a lot of funny moments, which lift it from becoming a depressing journey. The gradual coalescing of the four very different main characters into a unified group works very well. Each of them has a different reason for making the pilgrimage and, to begin with, they seem to have nothing in common, but it's still very believable when they start to relate to each other. Emilio and his father Martin have every reason to be very proud of this film. It works on every level.

"The Way" is a really nice film in which we face some peculiar roles while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world . Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago. Rather than return home , Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to pay tribute his son's desire to finish the journey . Tom decides to journey on this path of pilgrims, what Tom doesn't scheme on is the profound impact the trip will have on him and his "California Bubble Life". Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon finds out that he will not be alone on this journey and he becomes stronger . On his journey, Tom meets other pilgrims from all around the world , each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a fatty man (Yorick van Wageningen) from Netherland, who wants to lose weight , a smoking Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an eccentric Irish writer (James Nesbitt) . From the unexpected and, often times, fun adventures , this unlikely quartet of misfits creates an everlasting bond and Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again. All of them are broken and looking for greater meaning in their lives , but along the way they strengthen their souls . Through Tom's unresolved relationship with his son, he discovers the difference between "the life we live and the life we ".Life is too big to walk it alone.

A powerful , thoughtful and inspirational story about a marvellous father-son relationship , some friends and the challenges have to face a motley grup of roles . Concerning a misfit group of people join and share view points, and amusing experiences along the way . An extremely stirring and touching movie with a lot of messages to fortify the human spirit. .Quartet starring are frankly good : the grieving Martin Sheen , the mature smoking Deborah Kara Unger , the burly Dutchman Yorick van Wageningen and James Nesbitt as an Irish writer who is suffering from a bout of writer's block. Martin Sheen is really fabulous as the beloved father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling The Way , he is the best character by mingling grief and paying tribute to his son, deciding to take the pilgrimage himself. It contains a colorful and evocative cinematography by Juan Miguel Azpiroz . Special mention for musical score composed by Tyler Bates , full of sensitive and attractive sounds. The motion picture was stunningly directed by Emilio Estevez who also appears briefly in some scenes along with his father Martin Sheen.

The film describes alrightly ¨The Camino de Santiago (Latin: Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; Galician: O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St. James , is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried . Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. It is also popular with hiking and cycling enthusiasts and organized tour groups, and can be seen within the context of Christian colonization and Christianization. The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the later Middle Ages, 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 in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela also called "Saint James" . The Way can take one of dozens of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Traditionally, as with most pilgrimages, the Way of Saint James began at one's home and ended at the pilgrimage site. However, a few of the routes are considered main ones. During the Middle Ages, the route was highly travelled.The main pilgrimage route to Santiago follows an earlier Roman trade route, which continues to the Atlantic coast of Galicia, ending at Cape Finisterre. Although it is known today that Cape Finisterre, Spain's westernmost point, is not the westernmost point of Europe , the fact that the Romans called it Finisterrae (literally the end of the world) indicates that they viewed it as such. At night, the Milky Way overhead seems to point the way, so the route acquired the nickname "Voie lactée" - the Milky Way in French However, the Black Death, the Protestant Reformation, and political unrest in 16th century Europe led to its decline. By the 1980s, only a few hundred pilgrims per year registered in the pilgrim's office in Santiago. In October 1987, the route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Since the 1980s the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day international pilgrims. Whenever St. James's Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday, the cathedral declares a Holy or Jubilee Year . The French Way and the Routes of Northern Spain are the courses listed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

This beautiful simple and involving film is one of the better films I've seen in the past couple of years. It does what the best of cinema can - it moves us, and reminds us that life is a journey full of chance encounters and that its not all serendipity, but we can walk on too.

Matin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez, make a winning team here - the direction, though straightforward is, like Ron Howard, filled with memorable scenes and images that linger. Sheen himself is always good at taking us with him - his half-amused, half-bemused style suits this perfectly. As he travels on the old pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela to deal with tragic loss he meets and forms a group with three other pilgrims.

All in all, the overall experience of watching this is simply pleasure - and like Danny Boyle's films, it seems simple but it is a complete experience. The Way is human, emotive, emotional, and sincere, and for this viewer a good journey.

Like most road movies, this is as much about the characters' inward journey as it is about getting from A to B. At times it is too sentimental for my taste and some of the encounters seem rather artificial. But it has considerable warmth, humanity and good humour.

I saw this at the BFI in London at a screening attended by Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen. They are very proud of their film and it obviously means a lot to them, as father and son. They came across as intelligent and socially aware people, which was great to see.

During the discussion, a member of the audience pointed out the parallels with "The Wizard of Oz", something which I confess escaped me while the film was on but seemed perfectly obvious when I heard it. So watch out for that if you see the movie, and also look out for a cameo by Matt Clark, veteran character actor and, apparently, good friend of MArtin Sheen.