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MOVIE FEATURE

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Bill Bennett is one of Australia's most respected directors. With a career spanning four decades, his films include In a Savage Land (1999), Kiss or Kill (1997), and Spider & Rose (1994). Words Glenn Cochrane AUSSIE PILGRIM

Bill Bennett (left) with Chris Haywood

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Bill BennetT’s

If you’re experiencing a sense of deja vu, it may be because of Emilio Estevez's similarly themed El Camino film The Way (2010). But you can rest assured that Bennett's film is not connected to it, and tells a very different story. Every pilgrim who undertakes the long trek has their own personal reasons for doing so, and what they take from the experience is for them alone. That sentiment can be applied to both of these films, and Bennett's own motivation speaks for itself. “I had not seen The Way ,” he admits of his initial pilgrimage. “I didn't want my Camino to be influenced by anything in any way, and by that particular film. And, in fact, I didn't see The Way until after I had written the book, for the same reason. And so the title of the film wasn't influenced by that film at all.” Referring to Camino's actual nickname, he adds, “The Way is called The Way and I decided to call it The Way, My Way , because in the book it was a very personal approach. And instead of the book being a geographical memoir about a walk, I wanted it to be an internal and metaphysical type of memoir.”

O ver the years, he has directed films of various scales, working with actors such as Eric Bana, Burt Reynolds, Sandra Bullock, Rufus Sewell, and Frances O’Connor, among others. Now, comes his most personal project yet, The Way, My Way , starring Chris Haywood, adapted from his own best-selling memoir. Chatting with STACK , Bennett talks about his life-changing pilgrimage along the El Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St. James. This pilgrimage spans 800 kilometres in northwest Spain, leading to the shrine of James the Great. ”In 2013 I walked the Camino de Santiago. It was tough for me. I had a lot of trouble with my knee,” he explains, adding with amusement, ”I got to Santiago and I was expecting some kind of epiphany as to why I’d done this walk and put myself through so much pain. ”That epiphany never came, so I came back to Australia and I decided to write a book, basically to try and find closure.

Chris Haywood

personal realisations along the way. ”Chris was also in Kiss or Kill and nominated for a ’Best Supporting Actor’ AFI award and we’ve maintained a

professional working relationship. The thing about Chris is that he’s a very subtle actor and he doesn’t make a very big show of the process he goes through. But my goodness, he’s clever.” Given the nature of the Camino trail, Bennett describes shooting at various marker

• The Way, My Way is out Dec 6

points along the way and the challenges of depicting the geography accurately. ”We traversed the Camino three times through the making of the film. And that was because of availability of

And really, in a sense, to complete my walk. I never had any intention of doing a film, and in a way writing the book did sort of complete the walk for me.” The film features Haywood as Bill, an ageing filmmaker driven by reasons unknown to undertake a perilous journey. His wife, portrayed by Bennett’s real-life wife, actress Jennifer Cluff, is apprehensive due to his age, health, and stubbornness, but despite these challenges, Bill forms friendships and comes to some profound

The Way, My Way (Original Movie Soundtrack) is also available.

actors and stuff like that. One of the things that was really important for me was that I kept the geography absolutely accurate. Because I knew that this film would be scrutinised by die-hards of the Camino,” he laughs. ”But they’ve given it their tick of approval, which is really pleasing.”

12 DECEMBER 2024

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