Camino (2008 film)

Camino is a 2008 Spanish drama film directed by Javier Fesser. The film is inspired by the real story of Alexia González-Barros, a girl who died from spinal cancer at age 14 in 1985 and who is in process of canonization.

Camino
Directed byJavier Fesser
Produced byLuis Manso
Written byJavier Fesser
StarringNerea Camacho
Carme Elías
Mariano Venancio
Manuela Vellés
CinematographyAlex Catalán
Distributed byAltafilms
Release date
  • 25 September 2008 (2008-09-25) (San Sebastián Film Festival)
  • 17 October 2008 (2008-10-17) (Spain)
Running time
143 minutes
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

The film is controversial because Alexia's siblings said it was a distortion of the girl's history. They also objected to Fesser's use of Alexia's full name in his dedication, despite him having undertaken not to directly identify her.[1] He calls her "Camino" ("the way") in the film, referencing "the way" to sainthood she apparently undergoes.

Summary

Camino's elder sister is a Catholic acolyte, deliberately kept from contacting her family. Suppressing open signs of normal maternal grief, the mother seems almost inhuman in urging her dying daughter to "offer up" her suffering for Jesus. The father struggles to protect his daughter from a concerted effort to canonize her (even before her death) by his wife, elder daughter, and Catholic officials. Even the hospital medical staff seem to be complicit in this.

In a subversive irony, Fesser suggests that Camino's "Jesus", whose name she invokes, is not Christ, but a teenage boy named Jesús (a common name in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries) on whom Camino has a normal schoolgirl crush. This is shown in dream sequences she experiences throughout the film.

Reception

Catholics said the film was "biased and false" in its presentation of the "attitudes, sentiments and intentions" of the organization's members.[2]

The film won six Goya Awards, including best picture, best director, and best original screenplay.[3]

In reaction to the film, director Pedro Delgado in 2011 released a documentary about the life of Alexia González-Barros, including video footage from her family's archives.[4]

Awards and nominations

Goya Awards (Spain)[3]

  • Won: Best Actor – Supporting Role (Jordi Dauder)
  • Won: Best Breakthrough Actress (Nerea Camacho)
  • Won: Best Actress (Carme Elías)
  • Won: Best Director (Javier Fesser)
  • Won: Best Film
  • Won: Best Screenplay – Original (Javier Fesser)
  • Nominated: Best Visual Effects

References
  1. "Family members deplore filmmaker's distortion of girl under consideration for sainthood". Catholic News Agency. October 1, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  2. http://www.diarioya.es/content/las-mentiras-de-la-pel%C3%ADcula-camino
  3. "Especial Premios Goya 2009". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-10-29.
  4. "The real story of Alexia" (in Spanish). La Razon. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
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