It arrives in Italian theaters on September 24, distributed by Officine UBU, Santiago – A Path to Start Again by Yann Samuell, with Alexandra Lamy and Julien Le Berre, the story of a Camino de Santiago journey undertaken by a teacher in crisis and a troubled boy who has been entrusted to her. A journey that becomes for both the chance to face their vulnerabilities and discover that, even when it seems they have reached a dead end, it is still possible to start over.
The feature film uses the journey to touch on the general theme of a second chance, cross-cutting for adults and younger people. Not only for Adam: Fred too will have to come to terms with what has broken in his life and with the possibility of finding a new direction.
Santiago – A Path to Start Again, the Plot of the Film
Fred (Alexandra Lamy) is a high school teacher in crisis: with a marriage falling apart and a teenage daughter who can’t stand her, she slapped one of her students and was immediately suspended. Accepting a friend’s proposal, she decides to challenge herself by accompanying the difficult boy Adam (Julien Le Berre), with one foot already in jail, on the Camino de Santiago. The organization that arranges these trips believes in the capacity for recovery that the experience can offer, but Fred is not less “watched” than Adam, because over three months, side by side with both of them, will require self-control: Adam will have to learn what it means, Fred will have to rediscover it. Along the many miles the two will drift apart and reconnect, but even through unexpected encounters they will discover aspects of themselves they had ignored. And a bond will form that is stronger than Fred and Adam could have ever imagined.
How Santiago – A Path to Start Again Was Born
Santiago – A Path to Start Again bears the directing and screenplay credits of Yann Samuel, a veteran of French cinema, active for over twenty years, who first drew attention with Amami se hai coraggio (Love Me If You Dare) with the Canet-Cotillard duo.
As he did in his previous film, La guerra dei Lulu, Samuel here bases his work on preexisting material, in this case the book by Bernard Ollivier “Marche et invente ta vie” (2015, read as “March and Invent Your Life“): it is an investigation into adolescent “difficult” individuals who accepted the proposal of the association Seuil, attempting to isolate themselves in an uninterrupted 110-day journey on foot, without music, phone or internet.
The experience recounted in the book stems from an educational idea as simple as it is radical: remove the boy from his usual environment for a period and entrust him to an adult who accompanies him on foot on a long journey. Distance, fatigue and everyday life become tools to learn how to organize oneself, face difficulties, assume responsibility and confront the day-to-day with one’s companion.
Inspired by the reading, Samuel created this screenplay, where naturally equal space is given to the accompanying adult, because it is a kind of path that inevitably marks both, whether in the case of success or in the case of defeat.
The experience recounted by the film also has a counterpart in Italy in the Lunghi Cammini association, which uses the long walking journey as a tool for growth and reintegration for youths facing difficulties.
A Film About Adolescence, Without Judging
Adam is also a portrait of a difficult adolescence, often observed by adults only through his most problematic behaviors. The film instead attempts to shift the gaze: behind anger and rebellion there is a person, and behind challenging behaviors there can be loneliness, pain, and mistrust.
This does not mean justifying the protagonist’s mistakes, but trying to understand their reasons and leave open the possibility of change. It is a perspective that can speak to parents, teachers and educators, because Adam’s journey becomes a broader reflection on the way we view the new generations.
The Camino de Santiago as a Metaphor for Life
In the film, the Camino de Santiago is not merely the backdrop to the story. The kilometers walked, the fatigue, the landscapes, the meetings with other pilgrims, and the moments of silence all become an integral part of the protagonists’ transformation.
Walking means having time to talk, but also to be silent; to face fatigue and discover that you can take one more step precisely when you think you can’t go on. The journey toward Santiago thus becomes a concrete metaphor for life: we don’t always know where the next step will take us, but continuing to move forward can already be a way to start again.
Along the Way, Adam and Fred encounter Estella (Maëlle Vidou) by chance, a girl tackling the route with a leg prosthesis and a smile. For Adam she represents a glimpse of positivity he has never known, and for Fred it is an opportunity to relax at least for a few days, since the two young people seem to feel strongly about each other… and Adam’s urge to run away will calm down, at least temporarily. With the serenity Estella brings, every milestone seems more within reach. Let us get to know her in this sequence.
Comments