In "The Way" Hollywood gets it right (about the Camino and much more)

A 2011 film starring Martin Sheen is a surprisingly good portrayal of the 500-mile walk known as the Camino Frances

The American Pilgrims of the Camino ended their annual meeting last week in Vancouver, and several people, knowing of my interest in the Camino, asked if I had been there. Sadly, I did not go this year, but I would like to attend next year’s meeting, which will be held at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.

What I’m learning is that there is a growing interest in the Camino among family and friends. And wouldn’t you know? My new book, The Traveler’s Path, contains quite a bit about pilgrimage—including my own experiences on the Camino Frances. (I also walked the Portuguese Camino last October, an experience far too late to include in the book, although the cover photo was taken somewhere on the path in Portugal).

One way to learn about the Camino is to watch the 2011 film titled The Way, which stars Martin Sheen (yes, President Jed Bartlett from The West Wing) and is directed by Sheen’s son Emilio Estevez. The film didn’t receive much notice at the time of its release, but it has enjoyed a comparatively long life. It’s still worth watching, especially for anyone interested in walking (or knowing more about) the Camino.

I recommend the film not only because it’s beautifully done (and well-acted), but also because it’s a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the actual Camino experience.

Without giving too much away, Sheen’s character in The Way walks the Camino Frances to grieve the loss of his son, using his son’s backpack and other equipment. He begins his walk in Saint Jean Pied de Port (on the French side of the Pyrenees) and ends (where all Camino paths end) at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, a wonderful university town in northwest Spain where, it is said, the remains of St. James the apostle are interred.

I walked the same path, from SJPdP to Santiago, in March 2019. It’s a 500-mile walk through mostly rural northern Spain, though there are some wonderful smaller cities along the way like Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, and Leon. Famous Castilian knight and ruler of medieval Spain, El Cid, is buried at the cathedral in Burgos. (Learn more about El Cid here.)

What the film gets right, I think, is its portrayal of the “Camino families” that form along the way. I thought the high point of my 2019 walk was the people I met along the way. I loved getting to know fellow pilgrims from all over the world—Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Estonia, Lithuania, Chile, South Africa, and Korea. There was even an occasional American, though not nearly as many as I anticipated.

The film, to its credit, even hints at a few of the challenges of walking the Camino, including the pilgrim hostels—or albergues—which are found along the way. The dormitory-style accommodations can feel, well, a bit too cozy at times, with men, women, and sometimes even children crowded into a common sleeping area with bunk beds. I didn’t experience bed bugs along the way, but I have read enough about them to know that they are sometimes a hazard. All the nightly snoring, I have to say, was my chief complaint, and I confess that I occasionally opted for a small hotel and a bathroom to myself.

Lots and lots of videos about the Camino are available on YouTube, and some are really good, but The Way was enjoyable in a much more memorable kind of way. I hope you’ll take time to watch it. Or, if you have, I’d welcome your comments below.

Photos: (above) a screenshot from The Way, with Martin Sheen and his “Camino family,” (next) the Camino Frances is only one of several Camino paths, (bottom) a photo I took of the pilgrim hostel or albergue in Samos (looks so clean and quiet, doesn’t it?)