Movies about walking across Spain shouldn't be this good. Honestly, when The Way first hit theaters back in 2010, it felt like it might just be a vanity project—a father-son collaboration between Martin Sheen and director Emilio Estevez. But it wasn't. Instead, it became this quiet, slow-burn powerhouse that somehow manages to capture the messy, jagged reality of losing someone you love without ever feeling like a Hallmark card.
It's a movie about the Camino de Santiago. You've probably heard of it. The "Way of St. James" is a network of pilgrims' ways leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. People walk it for religion, for fitness, or because they’re lost. In The Way, Martin Sheen plays Tom, a California doctor who is the definition of "set in his ways." He’s comfortable. He’s safe. Then his son, Daniel—played by Estevez—dies in a storm in the Pyrenees during the first day of his own trek.
Tom goes to France to collect the body. He stays to finish the walk.
The Real Story Behind Martin Sheen and the Camino
The movie didn't just pop out of nowhere. It actually started with a family road trip. Back in 2003, Martin Sheen was on a break from filming The West Wing and decided to travel the Camino by car with his grandson, Taylor. They stayed in a refugio (a pilgrim hostel) where Taylor met the woman who would later become his wife. That’s the kind of serendipity the Camino is known for. Sheen became obsessed with the trail. He kept nudging Emilio to write something about it, but Emilio wasn't sure.
He eventually found the hook: grief.
What makes the film feel so authentic is that they actually walked the thing. This wasn't a big-budget Hollywood production with trailers and craft services. The crew was tiny. They used mostly natural light. When you see Martin Sheen looking exhausted, he’s probably actually tired. They filmed across the 500-mile stretch of the Camino Frances, and most of the "pilgrims" you see in the background aren't extras. They’re real travelers who just happened to be walking past the camera.
The Misconception of the "Religious Movie"
A lot of people skip The Way because they think it's going to be a 120-minute sermon. It isn't. Tom isn't even particularly religious at the start. He’s cynical. He’s angry. The movie treats faith as something complicated and deeply personal rather than a set of rules.
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You have these four main characters who are all "broken" in different ways:
- Tom (Sheen): Carrying his son's ashes in a box, literally and metaphorically.
- Joost (Yorick van Wageningen): An exuberant Dutchman who claims he's walking to lose weight, though it’s clearly about self-esteem and loneliness.
- Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger): A Canadian woman with a sharp tongue who's trying to outrun a history of abuse.
- Jack (James Nesbitt): An Irish writer with a massive case of writer's block and a cynical outlook on the very pilgrimage he's documenting.
They are an accidental family. They irritate each other. They argue about where to eat and where to sleep. It’s the most human part of the film. They aren't saints; they're just people with sore feet and heavy hearts.
Why Martin Sheen's Performance Hits Different
We’re used to seeing Martin Sheen as the moral compass of the world. He was Josiah Bartlet. He was Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now. But in The Way, he’s remarkably small. He’s vulnerable.
There is a specific scene—no spoilers, but it involves a backpack and a river—where you see the absolute desperation of a father trying to hold onto the last physical piece of his child. It’s gut-wrenching. Sheen doesn't overact it. He just looks like a man who has realized that all his money and status can't fix the one thing that matters.
The movie explores the idea that "the life we live and the life we choose" are rarely the same. That line is actually a quote from Daniel (the son) in the film, and it serves as the catalyst for Tom's entire transformation. Tom lived the life he was "supposed" to live. Daniel lived the life he wanted. The tension between those two paths is something almost everyone feels by the time they hit middle age.
The Camino de Santiago: A Character in Itself
You can't talk about The Way without talking about the landscape of Northern Spain. The cinematography by Juan Miguel Azpiroz is stunning, but it’s not "postcard" stunning. It’s raw. You see the mud. You see the rain. You see the repetitive, grueling nature of walking 20 to 30 kilometers a day.
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Realities of the Trail
Many people who watched the movie ended up actually booking flights to Biarritz or Pamplona to start their own trek. In fact, the "Martin Sheen effect" caused a noticeable spike in the number of American pilgrims hitting the trail in the early 2010s.
If you're thinking about doing it because of the movie, here’s what the film gets right:
- The Credential: You see Tom get his "pilgrim passport." This is a real thing. You need it to stay in the hostels and to get your Compostela (certificate) at the end.
- The Community: The way people from totally different cultures just start talking to each other while walking is 100% accurate.
- The Scenery: The transition from the steep Pyrenees to the flat Meseta and finally into the lush green of Galicia is exactly as varied as the film portrays.
What it glosses over? The blisters. My god, the blisters. The film shows some foot pain, but the reality of communal living in hostels with 50 snoring strangers is a bit more "fragrant" and less cinematic than the movie suggests.
The Enduring Legacy of the Film
Why does a movie from 2010 still get searched for today? Why does it have such a cult following?
Because it’s a "dad movie" that actually has a soul. It deals with masculinity in a way that isn't about strength or dominance, but about endurance and emotional honesty. It’s also one of the few films that captures the "Boomer" struggle—that generation told to work hard and keep their heads down, suddenly realizing they might have missed the point of it all.
There’s also the real-life chemistry. Because Emilio Estevez directed his father, there’s a level of trust on screen that you can’t fake. You can feel the love behind the camera. It makes the moments where Tom "sees" his son along the trail feel poignant rather than cheesy.
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What You Should Do After Watching
If The Way resonates with you, don't just let it sit there. The movie is a call to action—not necessarily to walk 500 miles across Spain (though that’s great), but to evaluate the "backpack" you're carrying.
1. Re-evaluate your "Life we live vs. Life we choose."
Are you doing things because you want to, or because you’re on autopilot? Tom was on autopilot. It took a tragedy to wake him up. You don't have to wait for a tragedy.
2. Look into the soundtrack.
The music in this film is incredible. Tyler Bates composed the score, but it’s the use of songs like "Deportee" (written by Woody Guthrie and performed by some of the family) and "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake that really sticks with you. It’s the perfect "road trip" music for your own life.
3. Consider a "Micro-Pilgrimage."
You don't need to go to Spain. The essence of the Camino is the "slow travel" movement. Spend a weekend walking. No phone. No podcasts. Just your thoughts and the rhythm of your feet. It sounds boring until you actually do it and realize how much noise is in your head.
4. Watch the 2023 "Extended Version."
Emilio Estevez actually re-released the film in theaters recently with some extra footage and a filmed discussion with Rick Steves. If you've only seen the original cut, the updated version adds even more context to the journey.
The Way isn't a movie that tries to give you all the answers. It doesn't end with Tom finding a new wife or winning the lottery. It ends with him still walking. Because that’s the point. The journey doesn't end just because you reached the destination; you just get better at carrying the weight.
Whether you're dealing with a loss or just feel stuck in your suburban routine, watch it again. It’s one of those rare films that actually grows with you as you get older.