Way, The (2010)

Director Emilio Estevez

After the sudden death of his globe-trekking son Daniel (Estevez), Tom (Sheen) flies to the Pyrenees to collect his body. But he spontaneously decides to complete Daniel’s journey, scattering his son’s ashes along the 800km Way Of St. James, a pilgrim’s path which becomes a life-changing experience. En route he attracts a band of inescapable companions, each with a tale to tell, including an exuberant, wining and dining, dope-smoking Dutchman (delightful Yorick Van Wageningen), a bitter Canadian (affecting Deborah Kara Unger) and a talkative Irish author (James Nesbitt) with writer’s block. And although it is sedately paced (it is a long walk, after all), Sheen’s subtle performance — surly, uptight, cautiously poignant — builds in emotional impact, prompting one’s own reflections on the journey of life. Gentle, likable and profoundly touching, it makes you want to dig out the hiking boots and make the same journey. - Empire Magazine