189. Camino Skies; movie review

CAMINO SKIES
Cert 12
81 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

I was already in full sympathy for Julie Zafireh - a New Zealander who was walking hundreds of miles as an act of catharsis following her husband's death from pancreatic cancer.
Then she told of THAT call - two weeks after his passing - to say her son had drowned when his canoe had overturned on a fast-flowing river.
Tears fell as she explained that her family of five was now a family of three.
Yet life goes on. Mrs W and I often muse over how nearest and dearest die but the world keeps turning and everyday existence continues.
I digress.
Julie is among six Kiwis and Australians who are walking The Camino - a spiritual pilgrimage through Basque Spain - to try to give some context to their lives.
They all have their own demons to tackle and they are most often associated with loss.
For example, Mark Thomson whose is grieving over a teenaged daughter and is tacking The Camino with his father-in-law.
Then there is Cheryl Stone, who is riddled with arthritis-related conditions and weeps daily from the pain of the trek.
But, regardless of the physical and mental scars, the small gang of Antipodeans carry on and, despite it all, find a way to smile and even laugh.
And perhaps that is the point - many thousands of miles from home, they have found solace which couldn't have existed in their usual environment.
Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady's film follows the group through the deep lows and occasional highs and prompts them to open up about their reasons for taking on The Camino.
They develop camaraderie in adversity. I can't imagine any watching and not having empathy.

Reasons to watch: A testament to the human spirit
Reasons to avoid: Upsetting real-life stories

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? In 2018, 327,378 pilgrims walked the Camino - higher than the previous best in 2017 when there were 301,036. 

The final word. Noel Smyth: "For 42 long consecutive days, we walked, ate, and stayed with our subjects as they were all going through very personal, emotional and trying circumstances. Add on top of this the fact we were away from our own loved ones and the general stress of making a film and its safe to say that we were all quite shattered by the end of production!" Impulse Gamer

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