The Way

Emilio Estevez directs his real-life father, Martin Sheen, in this uplifting film about journeys both physical and spiritual. Sheen stars as an American doctor who backpacks the world-famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in memory of his son (played by Estevez), who died while walking it. In the process, and with the help of a motley bunch of fellow pilgrims (including James Nesbitt as an Irish writer), he rediscovers his own sense of identity and reconnects with the son he lost. Like its pilgrims, the film does rather plod, while the characters and situations are ripe with cliché and stereotype. However, Sheen is on good form, the Basque-country locations look great, and the gentle, meditative messages within the film make it hard to dislike.