Emilio Estevez's The Way leaves viewers with warm hearts and a desire to evaluate the meaning of their own lives. The movie is a well-done depiction of the story of retired ophthalmologist Tom Avery (Martin Sheen), who is dealing with the death of his son Daniel, portrayed by Estevez, Sheen's real-life son.
Daniel perished on his trek of the famed Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route through the Basque country originating in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France and ending in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Although Martin Sheen's character is certainly not a world-traveling type, he endeavors on the Camino with the remains of his dead son as a tribute to him and what he died attempting to complete. The movie follows his trek and engages its audience with the story of an older man reconnecting with his son and simultaneously rediscovering a life he seems to have forgotten to live.
One of the key elements that keeps the movie engaging are the three supporting characters, especially fellow Camino traveler Joost (Yorick van Wageningen), who delivers the most energizing secondary performance. From beginning to end, Joost provides well-done, much-needed comedic relief to an intense portrayal of a father coping with a son's death. Joost's battle with obesity gives his character depth, and this struggle is treated subtly by the film.
The other two pilgrims Tom encounters, Jack (James Nesbitt) and Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), are weaker links in the supporting cast. The film delves into the life stories of both Jack and Sarah, but their eccentricities are overdone by their respective actors so that neither character can truly connect with Tom or the audience. For example, Unger's portrayal of Sarah overemphasizes her bitterness against the world, and her inability to open up leaves her character only partially developed. While Jack and Sarah provide some nice moments, they overall do not capture the effortless grace that Joost and Tom evince so well.
Daniel himself is seen throughout the movie as a ghost-like figure, proudly following his father along the journey. The Way conveys a sense that Daniel is happy that his father has found his own enlightened path in life. Estevez gives just the right touch as Daniel, a role that is just one facet of Estevez's involvement in The Way: he also wrote the screenplay, and directed and produced the film.
The Camino de Santiago itself is an incredibly beautiful setting for the movie; the sweeping cinematography left me wanting to pack my North Face jacket and set off for my own journey through France and Spain's stunning Basque country. Overall, despite a few hiccups, the movie succeeds in providing a touching life portrayal while also entertaining its audience most of the time.
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