Spoiler Alert: If you’re planning to watch The Way, it might not be a good idea to read this post until you’ve already watched it.

When I first heard the news that a movie about the pilgrimmage to Santiago was coming to theaters this fall, I was stoked! It got me on a hunt to finding The Way and when and where it was to be released. After weeks of waiting and searching, I finally had the opportunity to watch The Way last Sunday with wifey. If you’ve read my bio, then you can clearly understand how significant this movie was for me and how enthusiastic I was to go watch it. The entire film, written by Emilio Estevez and starred his father Martin Sheen, highlights the infamous and historical pilgrimage known as “El Camino de Santiago” (translated as The Way of St. James) which is the walk of a pilgrim towards the Catholic Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It is believed that the cathedral holds the burial site of the Apostle St. James, one of Jesus’ Twelve disciples. Therefore, the path to Santiago de Compostela is a pilgrim’s walk of personal and spiritual reflection that ultimately leads to a conversion of mind and heart; and that conversion is uniquely defined by each and every pilgrim that embarks on the path.

In a nutshell, main character Tom Avery (Sheen) was an American doctor who unexpectedly received a call from an official in France with news that his estranged son (Estevez) was caught in a storm and accidentally killed while walking the Camino de Santiago. Tom immediately flies to France to collect the remains of his son. While there at St. Jean Pied de Port, France, he learns about the significance of the Camino de Santiago and why so many people aspire to embark on this journey. Knowing how rebelliously adventurous his son was, Tom was determined to embark the Camino de Santiago, a distance of 800 kilometers, and complete the pilgrimage to fulfill his son’s dream despite his old age and inexperience as a traveler. Little did Tom know that his journey on The Way of St. James became much more than fulfilling a favor to his son. It also became a journey of his own, a journey with his son, a journey along other pilgrims which he befriended, and ultimately, a journey that led to a conversion of mind and heart.

The film was truly an inspirational story of life, family, friendship and the meaning of life in all its wonders and complications. Estevez provided a great balance between capturing the beauty and richness of the Catholic faith and the many different realities of where people are at spiritually that even a non-Christian could watch and enjoy the movie. Even Sheen’s character was a fallen away Catholic, especially after the death of his wife which led to the estrangement of his son as well as everything else that brought him joy and happiness. It’s a wonderful tale of redemption that we all can relate to and appreciate.

In terms of my overall rating, I would give it four out of five stars. I loved the movie and would recommend everyone to go check it out. Two reasons why I didn’t give it a full five-star: One, I felt more could’ve been done with the story line to provide a deeper insight into the characters, especially the relationship between the father and son. Further development in this area would’ve opened the movie on a stronger note and more convincingly invited us along the journey with the character. Secondly, I felt the conclusion was somewhat weak. The closure wasn’t as clear-cut and strong for me as I’d like it to be (including my wife). She and I had a long discussion about potential alternative endings that would’ve just been perfect. But then again, who are we to say? Regardless of these two critiques, it was still a great film and worth a movie night at the big screens.

On a more personal note, watching The Way was absolutely a nostalgic experience! I relived wonderful memories of my walk on the Camino de Santiago that were true defining moments in my life. The shells, the arrow marks along the path, the walking stick, the scenic views, the pilgrims, and ultimately, the Cathedral of Santiago – all brought back intense emotions. Every time a scene elicited such sentiments, I would turn to my wife with excitement and amazement like a little child full of wonder and awe. Can you blame me? Who would’ve ever thought that the days between August 24-26 back in 2000 would forever change my life? I know my experience was meant to be shared. Over the past eleven years I might’ve lost sight of that a little bit, but watching The Way definitely reignited my passion and purpose. I hope to bring inspiration and value to people who are willing to listen.

Buen Camino!