THE WAY BACK (2020) | KAIROS GLOBAL | AUGUST 2022

Author:  Joseph Anthraper, UK

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, exhorts St Paul in his letter to the Philippians – and all of us from the greatest to the least, rich and poor, in ways that we know best are trying to do just that – working out the meaning of this great riddle called life. With life, as Randy Pausch says in his last lecture, none of us can change the cards we are dealt with; and for many of us reeling under the relentless blows of what some people call ‘fate’, sometimes just not quitting the game is work enough!

The Way Back portrays one such story – of Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck), an alcoholic construction worker, who was once an iconic basketball player in high school, at Bishop Hayes Catholic School. Now separated from his wife Angela, he presently lives an isolated life, emotionally distant from even his sister, Beth, and his mom, with alcohol his only companion day and night.

Yes, it is a sports drama; but no, The Way Back is not a simplistic feel-good sports drama – if only de-addiction and dealing with life’s past and present demons and wounds were as simple as winning a basketball game and making it to the playoffs – mighty hard accomplishments in themselves. As the movie progresses, we get to know snippets from Jack’s past life, windows giving us insight into why Jack probably is the way he is – his alcoholism, broken marriage, and the many scars he carries from childhood. Yet there are no simple solutions for any of those, nor for his own bad decisions stemming from those baggage and wounds.

That it doesn’t try to associate success on the field with success off it, is one of the many good things about the movie. Ben Affleck gives a stellar performance as Jack, as does Al Madrigal as his assistant coach. Directed by Gavin O'Connor and written by Brad Ingelsby, The Way Back is studded with Catholic imagery and symbolism, and the story is ultimately about redemption – though not of the feel good, rosy version; but the hard fought, blood, sweat and tears version, where each step forward sometimes is accompanied by many steps back, over and over again.

The Hound of Heaven, though, never leaves any of His children alone – and in that is humanity’s only hope!

NB: Viewer discretion is recommended as language is R-rated

Joseph lives in Southampton, UK with Mahima, his wife and their 4 kids.