The Way

Dr. Thomas Avery (Martin Sheen), an American ophthalmologist, goes to France following the death of his son Daniel, killed in the Pyrenees during a storm on the Camino de Santiago (aka the Way of St. James).

We see, by way of flashback, that Thomas and Daniel's relationship was strained and according to the former had been so "since his mother died." Daniel went to Europe without his father's blessing ("We agreed that if l let you take me to the airport, you wouldn't lecture me about how l'm ruining my life"); additionally, Daniel had earlier broken the news to Thomas that he wasn't going to finish his doctorate ("Margaret Mead didn't become a great cultural anthropologist by staying in school").

Daniel is played by Emilio Estévez, w...

A thin but poignant plot takes us on a beautiful journey through Northern Spain. Along the way, Tom (Martin Sheen) is joined by three unwanted other travellers as he completes his dead son's journey along the Camino Way. Along the journey, they learn more about each other and share their stories. The film could have gone deeper into these stories but this would have taken the focus away from the main story of Tom's personal mission. James Nesbitt plays an annoying Irish writer, Jack but Tom, originally planning a solo journey, is equally annoyed by his new Dutch and Canadian companions. All are plausible people one might expect to find on such a journey. The soundtrack is amazing but the real stars are the landscapes and locations showcase...