Mein Weg - 780 km zu mir

I had seen this advertised for a while on Netflix and kept thinking this was not for me at all.

However once watching I discovered how much in common I had with the main character Bill, even though he is 30 years older than me. Flawed, stubborn and yet trying to find some purpose on his journey. I like when characters are not perfect. Because who really is?

I laughed several times out loud and I really enjoyed the scenery and learning a little about a trek I knew nothing about. It's a great advert for the region if nothing else.

Granted, this is not for everyone. But I loved the down to earth, simple and believable aspects of it.

Having read the above reviews, it seems most reviewers don't have a clue what the movie is about. I don't know what they were expecting but for me it summed up the camino experience almost exactly.

The journey of self-discovery, the casual conversations with strangers that often reveal things one would not dream about talking about to anyone back home, the on again/off again nature of the friendships that are formed, the often hard physical and mental stress and at the end, that while it has certainly helped you to know yourself better, it has not resulted in any 'Road to Damascus' like revelations.

I was particularly impressed by the fact that many of the characters played themselves, they were not actors but the actual people the main character met on his camino and agreed to appear in the movie. ( for those who don't know the movie is based on the book of the same name about the author/ filmmakers own experiences on the camino)

I thought it was excellent and I certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the camino, or who just wants to see a good film about the human condition.

I don't rate below a 5 hence this is as bad it gets.

Bad acting, bad script, unbelievable dialogue, poor continuity, overuse of drones.... I could go on but don't waste your time or money on this one.

The jokes were poor and poorly delivered, and redelivered again and again. If the joke isn't funny the first time, don't tell it again!

The characters were not realistic and the actors knew it.

Two of the female characters were clearly cast for their looks and not ability. Surely we've moved on from this level of movie making?

Ultimately this movie is a self indulgent mess from the writer and director. Very poor.

I've watched all the Camino movies and documentaries because they are all hero's journeys and I'm a sucker for that. I wanted to like this film, particularly since it is Australian. The photography and soundtrack were beautiful. Unfortunately, the lead was extremely unlikeable until halfway through. Nothing happened to show the audience he was worth caring about, and he lacked depth both in his behaviour and internal dialogue. He had an epiphany towards the end of the movie that was unfortunately unbelievable, because the insights he gained were not hinted at before. I can't help but compare his character to Martin Sheen's in The Way, a similar man; headstrong, but Sheen had warmth and charisma up the yin yang.

This movie makes me appreciate The Way even more than I did before. The four main characters seem like facsimiles of those in The Way (three men and a woman, one portly man who wasn't appreciated in relationship because of his appearance) but with none of the gravitas. Go watch The Way instead.

The beginning of the movie really made me feel it wasn't a good movie so I didn't want to watch but I actually held on to it. And it turned out to be a brilliant movie. Blimey, it's an underrated movie. So Bill wants to walk almost 800kms to Camino. What is his journey like? He gets to know different people from different countries, he gets to know why people choose to walk 800 kms to Camino. They sometimes live under the same roof, drinking together , getting to know each other, and exchanging ideas or life experiences. It's also a journey of cultural refreshments. In addition to this, for Bill and other walkers, the journey strengthens their mental and physical conditions, and helps them overcome different challenges/difficulties. That's sth that a journey is all about. Getting to your destination is not the point, enjoying what your journey has to offer, you don't give up easily, is the point. For Bill, he has seen a lot of places, he has met a lot of different "pilgrims", he enjoys the journey, but most importantly, it's a path to his own redemption.