Under the blue sky and blue sea, there are continuous mountains and a few coconut trees; in the surging clouds, the seagulls fly together, and the shadows are long.
This is the most expansive and boundless opening of a journey, and the most restrained and low-key prelude to an adventure.
A leaf moving, a gull chirping, echoing the silent inquiries and the pursuit of thousands of miles.
From the French Pyrenees in the east, along the northwestern coast of Spain, starting from Saint-Jean, passing through Navarra, Roncesvalles, Pamplola, Logrono, Burgos, Leon, and finally Arrive at the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, a journey of 800 kilometers, which has lasted for thousands of years.
Walking is about faith, and steps measure piety. The journey was hard and difficult, and I was shocked to see the Holy Land around the corner. The dusty pilgrimage road has become the hometown of people in search of souls.
"Just looking at the houses in Santiago is already a pilgrimage," Dante said.
In the church, the priest asked Tom, "Do you want to pray with me?" The only son was killed and the death came suddenly. Tom asked himself in despair, "What to pray for?"
Even the strongest person is like falling into the abyss when faced with the departure of their loved ones. There is no reason for misfortune or fortune, life and death are destined to be separated by different places, and yin and yang say goodbye. The darkest spell is not a nightmare at night and a longing for one's soul, but when one wakes up and sees things and thinks about people.
Since his wife's death, Tom and Daniel's relationship has drifted apart. He couldn't understand Daniel giving up on completing his Ph.D. and choosing to travel far away. Daniel is also dissatisfied and tired of his father's status quo. In his opinion, a daily life that remains unchanged is the most useless consumption of life.
In the small space of the car, the hearts of the father and son are thousands of miles apart, and the silence after no speculation is suppressed and suffocated.
Tom is alone on the train to France to take Daniel home. Facing the body, he felt dizzy, and he was at a loss for a moment as he packed his bags. Memories and reality intertwined, he was helpless and in pain.
A stack of photo albums recorded the good times in the past. He gently stroked his son's photo and looked at this strange yet familiar face. Suddenly, he approached Daniel's world all at once. Pieces of travel equipment were telling him about Daniel's original intention, and he began to understand and respect his son's choice.
The people of Sri Lanka have passed away, and their ambitions have not been fulfilled. Whether on a whim or after deliberation, Tom made the most Daniel-like decision: he would carry Daniel's luggage and take the place of his son to complete this pilgrimage that he knew nothing about.
In the face of the sheriff's questioning, Tom seemed resolute and decisive. The sheriff asked, "How long ago was your last trip?" Tom said, "I have to go right away." The sheriff asked, "Do you understand why you chose to travel?" Tom said, "I think it was for Daniel."
The sheriff, who had also lost his beloved, seemed to see the shadow of the past in Tom, and he knew the meaning of this pilgrimage to Tom and the impact it would have on him. He said meaningfully: "You are walking this road for yourself, only for yourself."
Everyone who chooses to set off will always give too much grand and heavy meaning to this journey before leaving, and bear too many commitments that have nothing to do with themselves, to add a tragic color. They hope that through walking, they can find universal and universal answers, so as to give a ritualistic redemption to their restless hearts.
As everyone knows, walking itself is the answer, and lifting your feet is redemption. For thousands of years, this sacred road has been admonishing the truth of the world, hidden in all the flowers, all the streams, all the way down, all the way up, all the way high ridges, all the way secluded, all the way prosperous, all the way cramped all the way, all the way is vast. Only now, Tom doesn't know that.
The journey begins with easy steps and a good mood.
Go to the place where Daniel died, where a simple cross was erected. Maybe other pilgrims did it intentionally as a memorial, or maybe it was left behind by strangers who traveled the same way.
Tom suddenly saw the figure of Daniel staying here, his face was chaotic but free. This is the first phantom meeting between father and son on this trip. He scatters the ashes and sits in silence for a long time until it gets dark.
Tom's first companion on the pilgrimage route was Jost from Amsterdam. Jost is enthusiastic and optimistic, and he takes the initiative to approach this strange old man with unknown motives. He told Tom that he wanted to get back to his old body and wear his old suit through this trip. Tom disapproved, always maintaining a lonely alert attitude. Fortunately, they walked together and were no longer alone.
Along the way, Jost gradually discovered the secret that Tom didn't want to reveal. The lonely pilgrim in front of him was burdened with unimaginable pain. At this time, Jost was not only the first companion on Tom's pilgrimage, but also the first person who knew Tom's thoughts and really cared about him.
Later, Tom was temporarily separated from Jost due to physical weakness, and chose to stay in a hotel halfway.
The pilgrims who lived with them sat around the dining table and impassively discussed the battle of the Basques. There are many different opinions in history, and topics collide here. From their own cognition and standpoint, everyone expounds their views and expresses doubts. There are no restrictions, no taboos, no decisions, only words full of courage, and just the right ending. The intersection of cultures and emancipation of the mind is the real freedom.
Tom saw Daniel for the second time, and this time he too was sitting around the table. Daniel's eyes flickered and the corners of his mouth rose, as if proudly telling his father that this was the world he wanted to see and walk in.
The next morning, Tom came to the balcony and saw that the innkeeper used the tablecloth as a red cloth, and rehearsed the bullfighting posture selflessly. He is like being in a romantic bullring, incarnated as the bravest and fearless warrior, calmly facing the adrenaline-pumping collisions and challenges. "I always wanted to be a bullfighter, but my father always wanted me to be a lawyer," he told Tom.
Intergenerational conflicts and conflicts seem to be common diseases all over the world, and intergenerational barriers often cannot be completely eliminated. Some people obey, some people forbear, some people rebel, some people run away, some people live as others expect, and some people become their true self. The innkeeper's bullfighting posture was imprinted in Tom's heart, and perhaps Daniel wanted to be a bullfighter too.
In this hotel, Tom met the second companion of the pilgrimage, Sarah from Canada. Sarah is cynical and addicted to smoking. In her eyes, Tom is a maverick who doesn't want to be seen through. Even if the first meeting was not very pleasant, it was a chance encounter.
The three of them made the trip, and Tom remained silent all the way, followed by Jost who knew and Sarah who didn't know. The group came to the place where the pilgrims rested, toasted and chatted with others, and slept in the open air. In the middle of the night without a dream, Tom turned his head to look sideways and saw Daniel for the third time. He seemed to be full of thoughts, and he seemed to be recalling the harmonious atmosphere just now.
Tom's heart is quietly changing, these changes are as thin as a hairspring, unpredictable, but real. The more people I meet, the more scenery I've seen, and the more things I've experienced, the more I'll leave my mark on this journey.
Resting in the wild, Tom and his party met their last companion, Jack from Ireland. When he first met Jack, he was a little neurotic, and told himself that as a writer, he suddenly found himself exhausted, and he wanted to regain inspiration through this pilgrimage. Jack stubbornly seeks and asks the meaning of all things, and in his opinion the road itself is the oldest metaphor.
The four of them walked together towards the next location. By chance, Jost revealed Tom's thoughts to Jack, and Sarah, who was completely unaware, was even more curious. Overnight in the wild, by the bonfire, the other three chatted enthusiastically, but Tom chose to turn a deaf ear. He still has no intention of joining in, he just wants to finish the rest of the way.
The next day, Sarah and Tom quarreled and pulled. She finally knew the facts that Tom had been hiding, and sincerely apologized to Tom. The two were reconciled in a simple interaction.
He went to another place to rest. At this time, Tom was exhausted physically and mentally due to the long journey, and was on the verge of collapse. Under the influence of alcohol, he told his companions his long-standing complaints, and he said angrily to them: "What does a man have to pay to become a true pilgrim on the road, does death count?"
The death of his only son has always been Tom's lingering nightmare. If the pilgrimage brings only death and pain, then there is no reason to continue walking. He suddenly lost his mind and vented his unhappiness along the way. He tore his face was not only the companion in front of him, but also the paranoid and arrogant self in the past.
After being detained at the police station in a foreign land, after calming down, Tom saw Daniel again, and he was shaking his head gently to himself. Tom also shook his head silently, laughing at himself.
After that, although Tom was single all the way, intentionally or unintentionally, but for the first time he had the idea of joining the team. He took the initiative to talk to Jack and even agreed to let him write his own story. Jack asked Tom, "What kind of person is Daniel." Tom said comfortably, "He's smart, confident, stubborn, and often annoys himself."
This is what Tom has always thought of Daniel. He shows off his strengths, tolerates his flaws, and loves his children, but this should be the first time he has told others.
In a pilgrim's bar, Tom's backpack was snatched by a gypsy child, and the group of four chased down the streets of a foreign land. Fortunately, the child's father saw what happened. After apologizing to Tom, he sincerely invites them to a gypsy night.
The jubilant fire, the passionate dance, all prejudices are artifacts of distance, and there is no preconceived sin in the world.
The child's father suggested that Tom go on to Muxia and sprinkle Daniel's ashes into the sea, saying, "It's not just for him, but for you as well."
The end of Tom's pilgrimage is not in San Diego in the traditional sense, and what he really needs to do is not to complete this journey in place of Daniel. Along the way, he was actually looking for the best home for Daniel, so that his soul could rest in peace, and he was also looking for a real way out for himself, so that his soul could be purified.
The sea, from ancient times to the present, has always been the end point of adventure. After going through stormy waves, it is full of honor and legend. Finally, I see soaring seagulls and the continuous coast. It is also the starting point of adventure. longing for the distance.
The leaves of the phoenix tree fell, and the two teams of people who went against the road achieved their own proof and redemption. A group of four, from this point onwards, can really walk together.
In the open field, Tom saw Daniel again, and he walked past Daniel's place calmly. He already has his own direction, and he also has a partner in his peers. He no longer looks around, but only looks ahead.
Finally arrived in Santiago, the holy city, the place that many people dream of. At the Pilgrim Reception, Tom left Daniel's name on the Pilgrim Certificate.
The pilgrimage started because of you, and I should leave your name. I finished my journey and completed my own pilgrimage.
Seeing St. James Church for the first time, everyone climbed the steps and arrived at the Hall of Honor. The statue of St. James stands in front of it, Sarah puts down her smoking bag, Tom touches the statue, Jack hesitates, and Jost walks forward on his knees. In any case, everyone has gone through hardships and hardships and achieved a certain sense of revenge and fulfillment.
The church mass, the ceremonial pendulum, the vision of Tom seeing Daniel for the last time, and they were both content.
In a tacit understanding, the four walked together again, to Muxia and to the seaside.
Facing the rough sea, Jack did not make a summary statement and stopped looking for meaningless meaning in everything; Sarah realized that what she really needed to get rid of was her inner demon, not any form of external sustenance; Jost He finally realized that he had an easier choice, which was to buy a new suit and accept his imperfect self; Tom threw his ashes into the sea and left in relief. He finally had to walk for himself.
"Life is not chosen, it is lived", this is what Daniel said to Tom.
Looking back on the whole movie, Tom chose to replace Daniel to complete the unfinished pilgrimage, Jost chose to walk to regain his health, Sarah chose to quit drug addiction after the journey, and Jack chose to avoid the pressure of life to make it exhausted. Vince gushed again.
With their own expectations and choices, everyone started this pilgrimage with an unknown and unpredictable future, and they met by coincidence and destiny. The solid footprints of each step are the traces of the past, each exhaustion is the tempering of life, and each re-entry is the proof of the beating of the heart.
At the end of the journey, everyone has lived their own life, and those initial choices are irrelevant. The scenery you see behind you, the place you stand under your feet, and the future you look forward to in front of you constitute the whole meaning of life.
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