In addition to the well-known cinema hits about the Way of St. James, such as “I’ll be gone”, “Pilgrimage in French” or “Your way”, there is a new, contemporary film that could also be a success. In “The sky over the Camino – The Way of St. James is life!” New Zealand filmmakers Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady accompany six people from Australia and New Zealand on what is probably the most famous pilgrimage. Their documentation is about the honest and trusting getting to know the hikers during the 800-kilometer journey on the popular section, the Camino Francés, starting in the Pyrenees on the French border.
Pilgrims Julie, Susan, Terry, Mark, Claude and Cheryl want to reach the famous pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela, which is said to be home to the tomb of the apostle James in the cathedral, which has been visited by believers from all over the world for more than a thousand years. The pilgrims of the first hour usually carried valuable gifts in their luggage, which they wanted to present to the patron at the end of their journey. By a decree of Pope Calixto II, they could hope for the remission of their sins in “Holy Years”, when July 25th fell on a Sunday as the Apostle’s Day (as was the case this year). While pilgrims in the Middle Ages made their way to the “Holy City”, which was founded by Pope Alexander III. was placed on the same level as Jerusalem and Rome when repentant believers walked, but today it is less about remission of sins and soul cleansing.
The spiritual baggage is still heavy for many of the pilgrims. “Heaven above the Camino” directs our gaze to the personal crises that unite all of the portrayed in different ways; it is about death, separation and loss. Julie, a middle-aged woman, lost her husband and son in quick succession. Mark sets out with his stepfather to cope with the death of his 17-year-old stepdaughter from an illness and to find an answer to his question as to why she had to leave so early. The 70-year-old Susan hopes for a better quality of life after severe health problems. And Cheryl wants to cope with the death of the love of her life and her father and use the journey for self-reflection.
All wanderers learn to mourn in order to be free again. Everyone has their own pace, their very own way of St. Hiking helps to say things that you wouldn’t say to anyone in everyday life. It is also fundamentally about coping with one day at a time, building a healing or at least strengthening routine. The special community of the six pilgrims has a life-affirming and comforting effect. Everyone is dependent on the other, nobody goes the way alone.
In addition to the pain, one should not hide the fact that the journey also goes through beautiful landscapes in the Wild West of Europe, through rustic forests and sleepy villages, that you can watch interesting things, like donkeys at a watering hole in the Spanish wilderness, that drone flights of the camera broaden the perspective and sounds of local musicians drive the narrative forward. A film that draws you on the Camino de Santiago and doesn’t really want to let go.
Camino Skies, New Zealand / Australia 2019 – Director: Noel Smyth, Fergus Grady. Camera: Noel Smyth. Ascot Elite Entertainment, 80 minutes.