Traveling Companion

Cleopas and his friend are surprised by a stranger on the road. They have no idea how their journey is about to change.

The 2010 film, “The Way,” features actor Martin Sheen playing Tom, a grieving father who travels to Spain after the death of his son, Daniel. Daniel was killed in a storm while walking the famous Camino de Santiago — the “Way of St. James” — a 500-mile pilgrimage ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle Saint James are believed to be buried.

At first, Tom wants nothing more than to collect his son’s remains and return home, but instead he decides to finish the Camino himself. Along the way, he discovers not only the land and its people, but also a deeper understanding of grief, community and faith.

The Camino is one of the world’s best-known pilgrimages. It can take 30 to 40 days on foot, and for centuries it has drawn seekers of every kind — some out of devotion, some out of curiosity, and some, like Sheen’s character, out of sheer desperation. Pilgrims have...