El Camino

Movie, 2 hours, written and directed by Vince Gilligan, Starring Aaron Paul

“Technically, chemistry is the study of matter, but I prefer to see it as the study of change. It’s growth, then decay, then transformation.” (Walter White, Season 1, Breaking Bad)

If you are a fan of the original Breaking Bad series and have been longing to re-engage with the creative genius and black humour that is signature Vince Gilligan, then El Camino is a must watch. It isn’t quite at the level of Breaking Bad, mostly because of its movie length format and the absence of so many of the characters that made the series what it was. Although there are flashbacks that do involve some of the characters, the action is carried mostly, and very capably so, by Aaron Paul. The real standout comes from actor Jesse Plemons who we get to see more of, albeit disturbingly, as the deeply twisted Todd Alquist.

The plot of the movie follows Jesse after the events of the series finale, but also with frequent flashbacks to Jesse’s past that we did not see in the original series. The story is really Jesse’s own journey of growth, decay and transformation. The car Jesse escapes in at the end of Breaking Bad and where the movie picks up from, is an El Camino. But more importantly, El Camino translates as ‘The Way’. In a heart wrenching flashback with Jane, he tells her ‘your philosophy, of going where the Universe takes you, that’s cool’. And she replies: ‘It’s a stupid philosophy. I’ve gone the way the Universe takes me my whole life. It’s better to make those decisions for yourself’. The decision Jesse makes now is to leave behind his New Mexico home and the decay of his terrible past. The desert setting of Albuquerque is significant. The desert is a classic religious symbol of struggle; of all the obstacles and hardships that stand between people and their dreams. The way for Jesse (spoiler alert!) leads to Alaska, ‘the last frontier’. We see a very different Jesse at the end of the film. His transformation is almost complete. He has exchanged the purity of the meth he and Walt created for the purity of the snowy landscape he now calls home. After watching El Camino, you may get a real and sudden urge to watch the entire Breaking Bad series all over again. Not such a bad thing at all.

– by Christine Williams