The Way

Written by Alex Sukhoy for Film Slate Magazine.

four and a half slates out of five

In today’s fiscally challenging times, personal film projects are risky. And, yet, the present creates the perfect timing for films that focus less on big budgets and more so on craftsmanship. Audience segmentation keeps breaking down into cultural microcosms, which means tailoring films for the people who will love your film most makes a great deal of sense. Especially if it’s a quality project like “The Way.”

Written, directed, produced and starring Emilio Estevez and featuring his father, Martin Sheen, “The Way” is a beautiful film–in message, scenery and production.

The premise of “The Way” focuses on Sheen’s Tom, a man in his third act who is also a widower, an ophthalmologist and a dad to his only son, Daniel, a free spirit played in flashback by Estevez. In the beginning of the film, Tom receives a call on the golf course that Daniel has just died while on a pilgrimage in France. Tom then flies to Europe, to identify the body, only to then strap on his deceased son’s jacket and backpack and complete the journey himself, spreading his son’s ashes at various locations of El Camino de Santiago.

During his adventure, Tom witnesses the pilgrimage of others, embraces the kindness of strangers and befriends three lost souls who accompany him on his journey. He is a father figure to the group and only Sheen’s trustworthy persona could showcase the myriad of post-shock emotions the trip evokes: anger, pain, compassion, love and, eventually, closure.

Shot on location in France and Spain, “The Way” offers its viewers a reprieve from summer blockbusters and captures the essence of the human spirit: strong and resilient one moment, fragile and unsure the next. There’s also an unapologetic religious undertone to the movie and regardless of the audience’s faith, the story captivates in every single scene.

Finally, given the serious nature of the movie, there’s smartly layered comic relief, some provided by Sheen and some by his “Wizard of Oz” like international companions, who are simultaneously loveable and ridiculous, with a flaw and a power within that they just have to notice in order to accept themselves. In other words, they are human.

In a flashback scene to the airport, Daniel’s character reveals to his father, “You don’t choose a life, dad. You live one.” That is the wisdom of this must-see film. That is “The Way.”

DIRECTOR: Emilio Estevez SCREENWRITER: Emilio Estevez PRODUCERS: Emilio Estevez, Alberto Marini, Janet Templeton CAST: Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Deborah Kara Unger, James Nesbitt RUN TIME: 115 minutes MPAA RATING: PG-13