Had some time last week to sit down and watch "The Way", starring Martin Sheen. It's the story of a father, who has a difficult relationship with his son (played by Sheen's real-life son, and the film's director, Emilio Estevez), made even more so when his son decides to chuck it all and go off hiking around the world. Shortly after leaving, the son is killed in an accident while hiking the El Camino de Santiago in Spain. The father goes to retrieve his son's remains, and on the spur of the moment, decides to hike the El Camino himself, in memory of his son. Along the way, he meets an interesting cast of characters, all walking the El Camino for their own reasons.
I really loved this movie. That said, Sheen's character is not necessarily loveable. He's angry at himself and his son, he's bitter, and he's not very nice to anyone around him. But his journey helps him to come to terms with his feelings, and ends up drawing him closer to his son, to his hiking comrades, and to his lapsed Catholic faith. It's as if hiking "the Way" ends up helping him find his way.
