Sometimes in life, you get this feeling that you absolutely have to do something, even if you're not entirely sure why you feel that way. That's how I felt about the idea of walking El Camino de Santiago, an 800-km pilgrimage route from southwestern France across northern Spain to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, where St. James’ remains are supposedly buried. People have made this journey for centuries hoping to find some personal significance, and Australian filmmaker Bill Bennett was one of them; he wrote a best-selling memoir about his experience that forms the basis for this film, which he also directed. Technically, “The Way, My Way” is probably best described as a docudrama with documentary elements. The filmmaker (played by actor and stand-in Chris Haywood) initially decided to walk the Camino while on vacation in Spain with his wife, Jenn (who is portrayed by Bennett’s real-life wife, Jenniver Cluff), even though he didn't really know why. He wasn’t particularly spiritual at that point but still felt compelled to make the journey, which he eventually did alone over a 31-day period. It was an undertaking filled with challenges, including a flare-up of a knee injury that made walking difficult—an ironic situation given what the trip involved. Despite this setback, he was determined to finish and found the experience worthwhile. Throughout his beautifully filmed travels, he meets various people and has some meaningful conversations; some offer him advice, and others benefit from insights he shares. He also comes to realize things about himself and understands why he started this journey in the first place. While actors portray a few of the film’s characters (Laura Lakshmi, Pia Thunderbolt), many are actual pilgrims Bennett met along the way (Johnnie Walker Santiago, Balazs Orban, Laszlo Vas, Ivan Boffi, Giovanna Donzelli), recreating their encounters and conversations with him. These chance meetings differ in terms of how long they last and how insightful they are; some are more impactful than others. It would have been better if some of these interactions had included more background information about both the main character and the other people he met. But, considering what this film is trying to do, it offers deeper perspectives than you usually see in movies these days. What’s perhaps most important here is the message in the title—Bennett's determination to walk “the Way” on his own terms, despite any suggestions he received, and that’s really the point of a journey like this, an approach likely to lead to the best possible outcome. We can learn a lot from experiences like these, and it would be smart to take advantage of them when they come along.

Source on TMDB