Story

Bill Bennet (Chris Haywood) and his wife Jennifer (Jennifer Cluff) are on a holiday in Spain when they first encounter lines of random hikers walking the 800-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail. Intrigued, Bill stops to ask why people are hiking and can’t get a clear answer from anyone. He declares them all ‘loonies’ but soon becomes obsessed with the trail himself.

Elderly and with a bad knee, Bill begins training for the walk. He finds the perfect hiking boots and trims down his backpack, and before he knows it, he’s off to Spain for the journey of a lifetime.

In Spain, Bill meets fellow trekkers Rosa (Laura Lakshmi), Balazs (Balazs Orban) and Laszlo (Laszlo Vass), who are all walking the Camino for different reasons. They’re with him at the beginning and are all there to greet him at the end.

Along the journey, Bill encounters others and forges bonds he never would have thought possible as the Camino works its magic. It slowly changes him and gives him a greater perspective on what’s truly important in life.

Themes

Guilt; regret; illness; forgiveness and overcoming hardship

Also, all the trekkers walk the Camino for different reasons. They raise and discuss many challenging topics and themes along the way. These include suicide, sexual abuse, cancer, infidelity and affairs outside marriage.

Violence

The Way, My Way has some violence. For example:

• A character confesses that she killed a man and is walking the Camino for forgiveness.
• A character explains how someone she loved committed suicide.

Sexual references

The Way, My Way has some sexual references. For example:

• Laszlo explains that he’s overweight and has always been the second choice for women. He says they always choose someone else over him.
• A character explains how he was sexually abused as a child for a long time.
• A character explains how she became the mistress of a married man with children and how he stole from his charity to support her lifestyle.
• A character describes how she was often called a whore by the family of the man she was sleeping with.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

The Way, My Way shows some use of substances. For example:

• Characters frequently drink wine and beer. This includes drinking at most meals, at pit-stops, and while walking the Camino itself and meeting locals.
• Bill is adamant that he doesn’t like beer, but people pressure him to try some. He eventually ends up ordering a bottle and regularly drinking it.
• A character drinks from a hip flask.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in The Way, My Way.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in The Way, My Way:

• Kathmandu logo
• Sydney Swans cap
• Siri.

Coarse language

The Way, My Way has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Way, My Way is a docudrama based on the memoir by Bill Bennet. It’s full of positive messages about finding yourself, opening your heart and setting down the burdens of life.

The content and overall style of The Way, My Way lends itself to older audiences. It’s not completely unsuitable for children, but it might lack interest for viewers under 18 years.

These are the main messages from The Way, My Way:

• We spend our lives amassing possessions and chasing success, both professionally and personally, often at the expense of what’s truly important – our health, relationships and wellbeing.
• Miracles can happen anywhere if we’re willing to set down our burdens, open our hearts and take things one step at a time.
• Sometimes the meaning we’re searching for has been in front of us all along.

Values in The Way, My Way that you could reinforce with your children include perseverance, endurance, determination, friendliness, forgiveness, compassion, empathy and helpfulness.

The Way, My Way could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of things not giving up on a dream, even if everyone thinks you’re crazy to do something. It can be worthwhile to push yourself through hardship and challenge, through setbacks and difficulties, to achieve what you set out to do.