Today marks the DVD release of The Way, a fantastic new film starring Martin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez (he of Mighty Ducks fame and glory). The film follows Tom (Sheen), an American doctor, whose son Daniel (Estevez) dies in a freak storm while hiking the Camino de Santiago. The Camino, popularly known as he Way of St. James, is a medieval pilgrimage route beginning in France and ending at the Compostella de Santiago in Spain, a cathedral said to hold the remains of St. James the Apostle.
After learning of his son’s death, Tom travels to France to collect Daniel’s remains. Yet while holding the cremated ashes in his hands, he makes a spur of the moment choice: he’s going to hike the Camino. In order to honor Daniel’s journey, and to finish what he started, Tom sets out on the Way.
He begins as a hardened, irascible mourner, frustrated with the world and angry at God. But the months-long pilgrimage heals both wounds. He connects with a number of charming characters: a jolly, drug-dealing Dutchman, a jaded Canadian chain-smoker, and a frustrated travel journalist looking for a good story. Each companion helps Tom grapple with death and discover the true joys of life: friendship, love, and the chase for God.
I really enjoyed the film. It was equally stirring, funny, and inspiring. What I liked most, however, is how sharply it represents modern man’s search for God. Archbishop Timothy Dolan summed this up when he recently spoke to Cardinals and bishops in Rome:
“A movie popular at home now is The Way, starring a popular actor, Martin Sheen. Perhaps you have seen it. He plays a grieving father whose estranged son dies while walking the Camino di Santiago di Campostella in Spain. The father decides, in his grief, to complete the pilgrimage in place of his dead son.
He is an icon of a secular man: self-satisfied, dismissive of God and religion, calling himself a “former Catholic,” cynical about faith…but yet unable to deny within him an irrepressible interest in the transcendent, a thirst for something–no, Someone–more, which grows on the Way.
Yes, to borrow the report of the apostles to Jesus from last Sunday’s gospel, “All the people are looking for you!” And they still are.”
Dolan nails it. Almost every secularist today is haunted by some deep longing for More, and that reality is what makes The Way so profound. Tom knows that something lies even beyond death–even beyond the piercing sorrows and fleeting joys of this world. His journey to Spain is iconic of man’s journey toward God, and I think the movie will lead others down that same path.
My only critique is the strange decision to have Tom sprinkle his son’s ashes at different markers along the journey. And at the end, he wildly flails the remaining ashes in the wind like confetti. With his deep reverence throughout the trip, it seemed a bit odd to treat his son’s remains so casually.
Other than that, this is one of those rare films that is deep and artistically compelling. If you missed it in theaters, be sure to check out the DVD.
Which brings me to this exciting news: I have 3 copies of The Way DVD to giveaway. On Friday morning I’ll use a random generator to select three winners, so you have a few days to enter. Unlike our normal giveaways, you can actually receive up to three different entries in this drawing. You get one entry each by:
– Commenting. Leave a comment on this post explaining why you want to see this film.
– Facebook. Link to this giveaway post on Facebook and tag @BrandonVogt and The Way Facebook page.
– Twitter. Link to this giveaway post on Twitter and tag @BrandonVogt1 and @TheWayTheMovie.
I’ll list the three winners on Friday morning.
Also, tonight at 8:00pm ET Emilio Estevez will be hosting a live Twitter fan chat where you can ask questions about the film. To participate simply follow the hashtag #TheWayChat and tag your questions with Emilio’s Twitter handle (@EmilioTheWay).
I’m assuming Mighty Duck questions are fair game–bonus points if you tweet “Quack. Quack. Quack. @EmilioTheWay #TheWayChat”
Update: After 31 comments,18 tweets, and two Facebook shares, I used a random generator to choose three winners. Congratulations to Stuart D, Kaitlin R, and Tracey C for winning a copy of “The Way”!
Check your e-mail for instructions on receiving the book. If you don’t see an e-mail from me, check your spam box–apparently e-mails with “giveaway” in the subject line often end up there.