MOVIE REVIEW – “Life in a Walk,” directed by by Yogi Roth
Will and Yogi Roth at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain in “Life in a Walk.”
by George Schmeltzer
There are as many reasons to walk The Camino as there are pilgrimage trails leading to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. For Yogi Roth, author, athlete, ESPN commentator, world traveler, motivational speaker, former Hermosa Beach resident and, now, filmmaker, the reason to undertake the demanding 240 kilometer walk along the Caminho Portugués from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain was to carve out of his very busy schedule time to reconnect or perhaps connect for the first time with his father Will Roth. His father had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The sudden, unexpected news of his father’s cancer propelled Roth to confront his father’s mortality, something he realized he wasn’t prepared to do. Perhaps even more importantly he wasn’t prepared to go through life saying, “I wish I’d spent more time with my dad.”
Out of that simple and very human desire of a son to better connect with his father, whom he considers his all-time hero, the deeply personal, award winning documentary film Life in a Walk was born.
Directed by Yogi Roth, Life in a Walk invites viewers to listen in on 90 minutes of sometimes moving, often funny, and occasionally insightful exchanges between father and son with the beautiful ocean and beaches of Portugal’s Atlantic coast (Rias Baixas) serving as the backdrop. Any son or daughter who regrets not having returned a parent’s telephone call will appreciate what Roth is trying to do with his film.
The Roths began their walk on June 5, 2013 and completed it on Father’s Day, June 16, 2013.
Thankfully, there’s very little peregrino (pilgrim) talk about shoes, backpacks, rain gear, blister treatments, and sunscreen that usually takes up the first one-third of most Camino stories. Nor does the film spend much time on the Camino’s enormously rich religious and cultural history. Using mostly unobtrusive cameras and microphones, this is a nicely edited grab-your-guidebook-and-go kind of self-help travel documentary. The sound is good, but not perfect. The soundtrack features original music that often mirrors the walker’s tempo and nicely compliments the dialogue and voice over.
From the UNESCO World Heritage City of Porto, to Braga, Vigo and Pontevedra, and onto Santiago de Compostela, along urban streets, coastal boardwalks, and rural pathways atop ancient Roman roads and bridges, many of the scenes beg to be lingered over, but this is not a National Geographic presentation. It’s a film by a successful, sincere and personable young man trying to learn as much as he can about his dad in a very short period of time. By the way, dad steals the show.
Will and Yogi Roth’s outlook on life is bright, optimistic and positive. Adversity is dealt with head on. Mistakes are seldom repeated. In a voice over, Yogi refers to a “disagreement” he had with his father during their walk, but the exchange is never shown. Actually, it’s hard to view these two men as ever being “disagreeable.” Will deals with prostate surgery the same way he dealt with job loss and other family setbacks. He goes walking, late at night, if possible.
Will’s emotional encounter with a young pilgrim in the plaza of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is one of the film’s most moving scenes. Will and Yogi had encountered the young man several times over the course of their walk. Such recurring encounters are part of the Camino’s great appeal. Conversations with strangers on the trail that ended hours or even days earlier are magically resumed in mid-sentence only to abruptly end again as one or the other pilgrim strays from the path for water, lunch or just to take a break. The giant bear hug administered by Will to his Camino friend tells you all you need to know about Will’s personality and the emotional impact the Camino can have on one’s life.
The film debuted in Portland, Oregon in September and was screened at The Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo on September 30. Following the El Segundo screening, Roth, a former Hermosa Beach resident, provided the audience with a bit of the film’s background and warmly introduced the people who made the film possible, many of whom live in the South Bay: Jonathan ‘JJ’ James and Gregor Clark, executive producers; Ed Bornenman, editor and producer; Sam Young, editor; Rory Modica, composer; Eric Yoon and Chris Seerveld, cinematographers; Alexander Ebert, featured song, “A Million Years,” and Kate Voegele, featured song, “The Crooked Road.”
“Life in a Walk” is in active theatrical distribution through Gathr Films. Gathr’s “Theatrical On Demand” concept allows anyone to bring the film to their city and as a Movie Captain, champion it within their communities. By visiting LifeInAWalk.com and clicking ‘Bring It To Your City,” a screening of the film can be set, and ‘gathered’ with friends, family and other interested moviegoers.
The film is also available for pre-order from LifeInAWalk.com and will be available on iTunes and other digital platforms in early December.
Learn more about the film at LifeInAWalk.com. Contact the writer: g.j.schmeltzer@att.net.