Location
3B - Routes
Start Date
29-6-2017 11:31 AM
End Date
29-6-2017 1:00 PM
Description
Films can be a source of inspiration to travel and influence imaginings about travel (Frost, 2010; Frost and Laing, 2015). This paper analyses the depiction of long-distance walking as an activity that promotes healing in The Way (2010); a film about pilgrims on the Camino Way in Spain. The motif of redemption is used to understand this cinematic narrative. It is the third pillar of ‘the Christian eschatological narratives of sin, sacrifice and redemption’ (Taylor, 2001: 10), but also a common element in many sacred stories (McAdams et al., 2001), where the sinner atones for what they have done and is released from or cleansed of their sin. The redemption narrative sequence depicts something positive resulting from adversity and is thus a story of hope (McAdams et al., 2001). Even though the protagonist in The Way begins the journey with the intention of walking solo, grieving for the deatn of his son, it is his encounters with various people along the way that shapes his experience and ultimately provides him with a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in his life. We conclude with a consideration of the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.
Included in
Long-Distance Walking In 'The Way': Promises of Healing and Redemption
3B - Routes
Films can be a source of inspiration to travel and influence imaginings about travel (Frost, 2010; Frost and Laing, 2015). This paper analyses the depiction of long-distance walking as an activity that promotes healing in The Way (2010); a film about pilgrims on the Camino Way in Spain. The motif of redemption is used to understand this cinematic narrative. It is the third pillar of ‘the Christian eschatological narratives of sin, sacrifice and redemption’ (Taylor, 2001: 10), but also a common element in many sacred stories (McAdams et al., 2001), where the sinner atones for what they have done and is released from or cleansed of their sin. The redemption narrative sequence depicts something positive resulting from adversity and is thus a story of hope (McAdams et al., 2001). Even though the protagonist in The Way begins the journey with the intention of walking solo, grieving for the deatn of his son, it is his encounters with various people along the way that shapes his experience and ultimately provides him with a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in his life. We conclude with a consideration of the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.