Movie Club: The Way, Directed by Emilio Estevez

“The Way” is a most inspiring film, showing that we can find solutions in the most unexpected places. In this film, Tom, played by Martin Sheen, is an American doctor who comes to France to collect the remains of his adult son killed in the Pyrenees during a storm. His son had been walking the 800km long Camino de Santiago, a path for pilgrims when he died. Tom leaves his familiar life in California and begins a journey that he hopes will help the healing process. Along the way, he meets people who, in his normal life, he would never have had time for. In their own ways, they are travelers and pilgrims, looking for meaning in their broken lives.

The path he takes is a metaphor for one’s life journey. It highlights that we often find ourselves on paths that we never would have chosen or expected. The beauty of this movie is that as we can share his journey. We can discover with him that, sometimes, the most painful experiences help us to put our own lives us into perspective. As the story develops, Tom begins to learn the difference between “The life we live and the life we choose.”

I chose this film for the Sixty and Me community because I realize that, in our community of 43,000 women, there are many who have experienced loss in their lives. Many have had to walk similar paths to find peace and acceptance.

I believe that many women in the community will understand the life they live is not always the life they chose. They will identify with the characters in the movie who are grappling with the same reality.

Watching this movie will, perhaps, help others to gain perspective and understanding, just like it did for Tom and the individuals he met on his journey.

If you don’t already have a copy of “The Way,” you can get it on Amazon.

To kick things off, here are a few questions for discussion. Please add your thoughts in the comments:

Have you ever found yourself in a place that you never expected to be?

Has your life had a “plot change” that you never expected?

For you, who was the most memorable character that Tom met on his journey?

What was the most endearing scene in the movie?

Did you identify with any of the characters Tom met? If so, which one and why?

Did the movie end in the way you wanted it to?

Have you ever walked a pilgrim path? What was your experience?

I hope you enjoy being a part of our movie club for women over 60! Please leave your comments below.