Plot

Ronan knows that taking three recovering addicts to walk an 800km pilgrimage in a foreign country is a big ask, what he can't foresee is the tempestuous result of his counselling philosophy in action.

The Camino de Santiago is a centuries-old 800-kilometre pilgrim trail through northern Spain, attracting thousands of tourists annually. The pilgrims in Kirsten Mallyon and John Cherry's revelatory documentary - nine years in the making - are not, however, your usual hikers. Amy, Chris and Dave are recovering addicts. Ronan O'Connor, a drug and alcohol counsellor at a New South Wales rehab, has agreed to be their guide, but not their therapist. He's well aware that the trek will be a challenge for the trio, but is convinced that in order to move on, they need to take charge in the long haul through life and down the track.

The Unlikely Pilgrims is a documentary psychodrama, set along a beautiful ancient pilgrimage route. The Camino de Santiago, or Camino Frances, spans 800km across Northern Spain. It begins on the French border in the Pyrenees, continues through the desert 'meseta', and finally winds it's way up into the misty mountains of Galicia.

Ronan O'Connor is a modern-day pilgrim. He loves walking long distances and has completed the Camino five times already. In Australia, he is a counsellor and works with people who have both drug and mental health issues. He offers the opportunity to share a Camino with Amy, Chris and Dave, who have just completed their rehabilitation program. It is agreed that they will be companions on a journey of self-discovery in which he is not their counsellor. The repercussions of this decision are huge.

The task is to walk for a month, around thirty kilometers a day, carrying all they need on their backs.

Charismatic, straight-talking Dave is battling daily with bi-polar, obsessive compulsive, and borderline personality disorders. Many times he decides to go home and then changes his mind, but as he walks he begins to look healthier and healthier. Sometimes he's the life of the party, sometimes "wanting to kick things and tell everyone to get f*****".

Beautiful Amy is fragile. She wants to rescue abandoned animals, can't stand to be naked in front of others, and can't control her wild emotions. Chris is a great solace for her. But Chris is physically unfit. He quickly develops a knee injury, and can't keep up. A great tragedy of his own life which has been submerged by the use of drugs is now bubbling to the surface.

Each day Ronan leaves them free to take responsibility for their own Camino. Most days he takes off before daybreak on his own and sets a blistering pace. So clinging to Ronan becomes more and more painful. And the group's feelings of neglect grow stronger.

Ronan's deeply held belief is that help can do more harm than good, that "the rescuing element in counselling can do a lot of damage, can kill people in actual fact." What Ronan can't forsee is that this philosophy in action, while allowing the group to stand on their own feet in ways they have never done before, will result in tension, attacks, and serious repercussions.

If addiction is a mask to hide pain, the Camino rips it off. It is a time of personal struggle and growth for anyone. But these unlikely pilgrims have been through immense hardships in their lives. Putting one foot in front of the other, day by day, there are no distractions to hide behind, and the demons come out.

The Unlikely Pilgrims is a triumphant tale about what can be accomplished if one has the courage to confront one's own physical, spiritual and emotional limits.