The Way (2010)

A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the "El camino de Santiago," and decides to take the pilgrimage himself.

Director:

Emilio Estevez

Writers:

Emilio Estevez (written for the screen by), Jack Hitt (book)

Stars:

Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Deborah Kara Unger

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Sheen	...	Tom
Emilio Estevez	...	Daniel
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Sarah
Yorick van Wageningen	...	Joost
James Nesbitt	...	Jack
Romy Baskerville	...	Eunice
Renée Estevez	...	Doreen
David Alexanian	...	Roger
William Holden	...	Cal
Spencer Garrett	...	Phil
Joe Torrenueva	...	Father Sandoval
Tchéky Karyo	...	Captain Henri
Stéphane Dausse	...	French Mortician
Ángela Molina	...	Angelica (as Angela Molina)
Simón Andreu	...	Don Santiago

Storyline

"The Way" is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face 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, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son's desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn't plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his "California Bubble Life". Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On his journey, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen), a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (James Nesbitt), who is ...

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Plot Keywords:

journey | father | traveling | dead son | spiritual journey | 

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Taglines:

Life is too big to walk it alone.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

19 November 2010 (Spain)

Also Known As:

El camino

Filming Locations:

Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$193,552 (Spain), 19 November 2010, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$110,418, 9 October 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,430,650, 11 March 2012

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,158,000, 31 August 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmax Entertainment,Icon Entertainment International,Elixir Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After driving the length of the Camino with his young adult grandson, Martin Sheen initially suggested that a documentary be made to promote pilgrimage and honor the Camino. However, his son Emilio Estevez thought that an independent commercial vehicle would be a better way to go.

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Goofs

Filming some shots after Roncesvalles, you can clearly see Tom sitting outside the Hostel at Orisson. This is in fact 8km from St Jean and before Roncesvalles so in completely the wrong direction. Opinion: There is no suggestion that Tom was walking in the wrong direction, simply that the location was shown in the wrong order.

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Quotes

Padre Frank: Hey, I'm Frank. New York.
Tom: Tom. California.
Tom: [Noticing that Frank is wearing a yarmulke] Nice to meet you, Rabbi.
Padre Frank: Oh, actually I'm a priest.
Tom: Well, you can understand my confusion.
Padre Frank: Yeah, a lot of people make that mistake.
Padre Frank: [Pointing to his head] Brain cancer. Surgery left a terrible scar. I wear this yarmulke to cover it up. They didn't get it all... you know, the cancer. Said it'll probably come back. Who knows about these kinda' things? Only God... Anyway, they say that miracles happen out here on ...
[...]

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Soundtracks

The Journey Is The Destination
by Tyler Bates
(P) & © 2011 Tyler Bates Music, Inc/Under Exclusive License To Milan Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Refuses to get lost on a road so big

I've been anticipating The Way for about two and a half years for the wrong reason - I wanted to see Emilio Estevez back on the screen. The last formal film he appeared in was Rated X with his brother Charlie Sheen in 2000. Finally we see Emilio's talents not only behind the camera, but in writing as well. He handles the screenplay, the directing, and the producing in this beautifully crafted film.

You can tell just from the close-to-home feel of the character The Way is something sentimental and meaningful to both Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Both real life father and son actors have been taking most of their time in 2011 and using it to promote a film with heart and soul, but will likely be ignored when in theaters because of its very limited release and its minimal marketing.

The story focuses on Tom (Sheen), an American doctor, who goes to France after hearing his adventure-seeking son Daniel (Estevez) has died in a storm while hiking the Camino de Santiago - a famed Christian route many walk on to find faith or go to Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela at the end of the five-hundred mile route.

After arriving in France to pick up Daniel's ashes, Tom makes a split-second decision that he will follow hike the path of his son, while spreading his ashes throughout the trail. He meets up with many different people with many different stories. They are Joost (Wageningen), a Dutchman who is hiking the trail for exercise purposes, Sarah (Unger) who is trying to quit smoking, and "Jack from Ireland" (Nesbitt) who is suffering from writer's block and is trying to collect information about fellow hikers and their separate journeys.

The Way has a number of strange qualities - for one it has noticeable parallels to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. And two, it is odd for Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez, two actors that practice in strict Catholicism, to focus on a film that leads to a Christian Cathedral. Whatever the reason behind it, the story is pitch-perfect and Martin Sheen may have just given one of the best performances of his career.

The tears come and go in The Way, but so do the shocker scenes like when the topic of abortion is briefly mentioned. It is rare for such a film to bring up a controversial topic, which is why The Way deserves a load of credit.

The plot isn't too deep, but the story is truly moving. The acting by the four characters is fantastic, and like any road movie, it is more about the characters getting to find their inner-selves rather than walking from point a to point b. Only here - it is more welcomed because of the fact that is what the Camino de Santiago is all about.

Starring: Martin Sheen, Deborah Kara Unger, James Nesbitt, Yorick van Wageningen, and Emilio Estevez. Directed by: Emilio Estevez.