Documenting the Camino

Hello faithful readers! I think I can speak for those of us who are back in the land of the free when I say that I say it is great to be back and to see family and friends! The feeling is bittersweet though and I already am missing pimientos de Padron, Estella Galicia and our incredible guide and friend Iria.

As I've been describing the trip to my family I feel as though I'm missing things with every story and forgetting entire days. The Camino is truly a "had to be there" experience. The depth and breadth of the opportunities we had to experience new things, build relationships and grow as individuals seems indescribable. If you ever have the opportunity to devote a month to the Camino absolutely do it. We were incredibly lucky to be able to hike the Camino, to take part in a kind of trip that most won't get to experience. 

While on the Camino something I thought about a lot is the potential of the Camino to inspire art, particularly music. It would be impossible to not be creatively stimulated by the Camino, with the vibrant culture of Spain, the panoramic landscapes and the ample time and perfect environment for personal reflection. The most obvious manifestation of this creative spirit is in the works that were commissioned by the church, whether the architects who dreamed up the massive cathedrals in nearly every city we passed through or the sculptors who created statues for the elaborate Baroque altarpieces that served as those Cathedral's visual centerpiece. I was also very curious about music created while on the hike or inspired by the experience. I have not had any luck thus far, perhaps the talented in our group will create the first wave of records, what do you think, Suzi :)? 

The best results in my search for art inspired by the Camino has come in the form of cinematic works. Film has an enormous potential to capture the essence of the Camino because it can track the personal journey that individual's go through and visually presents the landscape of Northern Spain, which in its beauty is generally treated as a main character. 

The most famous example is The Way, a 2010 drama starring Martin Sheen. 

Sheen's character plays the father of a pilgrim who passed away in the first stage of the Camino (played by his real life son, Emilio Estevez.) The film features breathtaking cinematography and excellent acting. Its script does a great job of presenting how personal the journey can be while simultaneously showcasing its potential for meaningful relationships. Myself and my fellow pilgrims identified emotionally with the fictional pilgrims and recognized many of the locations Sheen visits. 

A great non-fiction example of a Camino film is the documentary Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve, made by the BBC. Deals with our pilgrimage for the first half hour Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAy_m9JW-ho 

 

Reeve's crew also does a great job visually capturing the Camino. Reeves provides great, realistic commentary on the history of the Camino and the experience of a present day pilgrim. Great shots of the sweeping prairies, tight city streets, the miraculous chickens and a night in a hostel.

While hiking we ran into two separate film crews creating documentaries. 

One will document the American cellist Dane Johansen's hike while carrying his cello. Link to the project website http://www.walktofisterra.com/ 

We were lucky enough to attend one of Johansen's performances at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. He is a tremendous musician who was very kind and down to earth. His passion for freely sharing the music he loves with Northern Spain and his fellow pilgrims was incredible. I am very much looking forward to the release of his film, entitled the Walk to Fisterra. I suspect that it will be out in a few months. 

While hiking up the El Perdon mountain range I met a brother and sister from Denmark. They were meeting a film crew at the sculpture on top of the mountain, one of the iconic images of the Camino. 

The documentary focuses on their relationship and particuarly with concern to religion. The brother is an atheist while his sister is a believer. Further, the sister has the genetic disease cystic fibrosis, which both siblings were equally likely to be affected by. The Camino will certainly give them ample time to discuss these heavy topics and I was personally very inspired by the strength of the sister and their very close relationship. I have been unable to find any info online on the documentary, but hopefully something will be posted after the film is completed. Until then I will work on polishing my Danish and keep y'all updated in the comments section.

Thanks for reading!