A Movie That Connects With You Emotionally

Earlier this week, I attended an advanced screening of the movie The Way starring Martin Sheen (of Apocalpyse Now and West Wing fame) and was written and directed by his son Emilio Estevez (Bobby). I'm not a very easy audience to please, but I have to admit that there are no words that can possibly do justice to this movie - the flick is close to perfection!

Pilgrimages have long been the subjects of movies, but this Christian pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago is different. This is a journey of life - as the movie's promotional tagline sums it all up: "Life is too long to walk it alone."

The four pilgrims who are the protagonists of this film all embarked on the journey for different reasons. Tom, the Californian ophthalmologist (Sheen), wanted to walk it alone because he wished to remember his deceased son Daniel (Estevez) with whom he never managed to get along. The father never understood the son's "the life you live and the life you choose" philosophy. Along came Dutchman Joost (Yorick van Wageneingen) who's innately kind, but could be annoying because he was stalking Tom and chose to embark on this pilgrimage only to try to lose some weight because his wife refused to sleep with him. Then there's the bitter, chain-smoking and self-deprecating Canadian Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger of Spider and Combat Hospital fame), who went on this trip to run away from her abusive former husband and the pain of aborting her baby. Her resentment of the boomer generation explained why she kept calling Tom 'Boomer' throughout almost the entire journey. And about three-quarters of the way, the three of them met Jack (James Nesbitt), the Irish writer who had a writer's block and was looking for inspiration and material.

The movie is full of metaphors and ironies - of life, relationships, love, family, friendship, racial tolerance, inter-generation conflicts, motherhood, religious faith and many others. There are many breathtakingly beautiful shots of the Spanish scenery, but it's the emotional connection that the movie makes with its audience that becomes a flawless memory. This is a movie that will make you laugh and cry many times during the two hours.

After Bobby, which earned a long standing ovation at its debut in the Venice Film Festival in 2006, nobody will ever doubt Estevez's ability to write and direct a good movie. But The Way has just made him one of the most respected writers-directors of North America. At the question-and-answer session after the screening of the movie, Estevez said that he's glad that the audience liked his movie because he felt this was a great story of his own life and family that he needed to tell. And what a story - one that connects with us on many levels. The audience at Varsity Cinema was also classy enought that nobody asked Sheen and Estevez any questions relating to Charlie Sheen.

I understand that this movie will be shown in Canadian cinemas next week. Please do yourself a favour and don't sit on the couch and wait to see it on DVD - go to the cinema and share Estevez's passion! It will make you a happier and more fulfilled person!