Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago

Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago is not a travelogue of the most famous of the various Camino routes that conclude in Santiago de Compostela, where tradition holds that the bones of the apostle St. James are said to be buried. It is a multi-faceted examination of 6 different journeys undertaken by individuals or pairings of pilgrims, undertaking the 800 km trek between St. Jean Pied de Port in Southern France and Santiago. Many of the everyday details and aspects of the expedition, as well as some (not all) of the more famous landmarks are bypassed, in favour of the conveyance of various broad perspectives and feelings of the epic trip, which is generally filmed in chronological order.

For the most part director Lydia B Smith and her camera crew succeed in creating an interesting accompanying journey for the audience through their subject selection. I admit to being staggered by the sight of the French single mother who chose to do the trek with her 3 year-old son (in and out of his stroller), occasionally accompanied by her brother (when they weren't arguing, which appeared more often than not, to be brought on by the rather prescriptively prim behaviour she expected of him along the journey). On the other hand, whilst I'm glad she completed her Camino, I probably could have done without the middle-aged American lady, who cried a lot complaining about her aches and pains for 90% of her screen time. Some of the bit travellers popping up just for a single interview cameo, such as the Korean lady, and the German guy who turned up with the featured Anglo-Brazilian lady just the one time, were quite interesting and left me wanting to know more about them.

Some thought-provoking, though (it must be said) frequently repetitive asides and commentary is provided by various locals along the way. These include clergy, business owners, volunteers assisting Camino travellers and village and town residents. There is no director narration, though certain information is provided by scroll and various towns and days covered are identified by screen label.

Director Smith clearly has a passion for her subject, having completed the Camino years before beginning this film. This is a professionally compiled, well photographed and edited documentary which features a pleasant soundtrack mainly featuring quite appropriately, some well played Spanish guitars. I think anyone considering undertaking the walk, or looking back at the experience of completing it, will find plenty to savour. Me; I was dying to ask all the walkers why so many were carrying such large packs with items such as sleeping bags and cooking utensils, when all appeared to be staying in hostels and getting cooked meals every night. The question was at least partially answered by the hooked up pair of the Danish lady and her ten years younger Canadian toy boy. She admitted half way through, she had brought too much unnecessary gear and stored it away to be picked up later, continuing with just a light pack. I was also curious as to why it took Lydia Smith some 4 years to assemble the finished product, after shooting it. Seems a hell of a long time for what obviously was a labour of love.

This is a very pleasant viewing experience! I bought the DVD and there are some excellent extras to go with the film, including an interview with the film's creator Lydia Smith. On watching this you realize the long journey and great effort in bringing this film into existence. Inspired by a Camino undertaken by the director in April and May 2008, it was filmed the following April and May 2009, but took until 2013 before it was released. I have the Camino on my 'to do' list but you don't have to be a walker to enjoy it, it contains much human interest. As a potential Camino walker I must admit there are some good tips here, travel light (dump the sleeping bag, and perhaps take a bivvi bag for emergencies), and take care of your feet! Highly recommended viewing.

This was very well done! The photography, the six main people followed, the music, the mood -- all were well-edited, directed, and produced. It shows the full range of the Camino experience: the internal thoughts, the spiritual insights, the physical strains, the solace of nature, the weather, the new friends made, and the sharing with others of all ages and from all countries. In many aspects, I enjoyed this documentary a little bit more than the commendable Camino film "The Way." (I did the last 200 mile portion to Santiago with my two best friends in 2005, and heartily encourage everyone to give it a try...) This film will truly inspire you. Buen Camino!

Having done the Camino in 2019 and now suffered FOMO due to the Covid pandemic of 2020 , it has been a time to reflect on many things, including and especially how fortunate I was to have done the Camino just prior to a global lockdown.

My understanding is that the 6 people selected were chosen at the time of filming and not limited to just the 6 and the others are on a bonus DVD if you but this documovie.

But certainly a great, and diverse selection of people who really bring the experience to life. Beautifully edited with some sublime videography, you will truly appreciate this if you have done the Camino OR, even better, if you are going to still experience it. I would then recommend you watch this a few times so images can crystalize in your mind. It will not spoil the actual experience as the journey will always be personal to you.

Definitely worth the watch.

Nowadays we are constantly bombarded by disaster, horror and destruction on a daily basis. When I left the theatre after viewing "Walking the Camino" I was totally relaxed and felt that there was a greater purpose to life. As often happens to me, I had just finished reading a book by Paulo Coelho called "The Pilgrimage" where he describes his experiences on the trek to Santiago de Compostela. He had some pretty momentous stories to tell, so naturally I was extremely interested to find out that others have been doing this walk and also that a movie had been made about it.

What makes the movie work for me was that we follow the trek of various couples and individuals from all sorts of different ages, countries of origin and occupations. Without exception, they all seem to experience trans-formative events along their journey and are far more in tune with themselves and the world at the end of the journey. The excessive walking and exercise seems to clean out their system from physical and emotional junk and allows them to appreciate the world that exists right in front of them on a NOW basis. Filming the end of the walk must have been really tough for the film maker, because all the subjects were so emotional about what they had been through and experienced.