The Way

I liked the film, The Way. It illustrated what life is like outside of one's "little world"; this journey was mostly without mainstream technology or amenities, but instead required the pilgrims to literally carry everything they needed on their back. I learned that life really is a journey- it's about the destination, the journey itself, and the people you meet along the way. The movie's general concept and storyline was inspiring; the relationship between a parent and child is still so strong even after one of them is gone. The idea of a pilgrimage is usually associated with a religious journey, but in the movie it was seen that this type of journey could be taken for other reasons as well. Therefore, I agreed with the concept that a pilgrimage can be taken for many different purposes and is meaningful in different ways to different people. Some of the characters purpose for their journey changed throughout the pilgrimage. Tom started walking the Camino alone and unsure of the purpose behind it. As he continued on, he realized that the purpose was to do it for Daniel, his son, and see what Daniel had meant by him saying he wanted to live and experience the world instead of just learning about it. Tom also became more open to talking about his life and his son as he continued on in the pilgrimage. Sara, another pilgrim, said that she was walking the Camino because she wanted to quit smoking. As her journey continues, it becomes apparent that her purpose for the journey is to reflect on her life and forgive herself for choices she made in the past. The Way truly revolved around relationships- the ones between families, between strangers, and with oneself. Maybe one would go into this pilgrimage thinking that being alone is the best thing for one because one wanted to get away from one's current life; after beginning the journey, though, one could eventually realize that having others to share the experience is part of that experience. Finally, if life's journey is anything like traveling along el Camino, there is sure to be much more out there in the world to experience.