The Milky Way was a 1969 film directed by Luis Buñuel, who has directed other great films such as The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Phantom of Liberty which are all part of a trilogy. They do not have an interlocking story or even the same main characters. However, all these films share a common theme of questioning and scrutinizing the social norms and other aspects of life like religion.
The Milky Way is especially focused on religion. The main characters Jean and Pierre are on the Way of St. James pilgrimage, traveling from Paris to Spain. On the way, they meet many interesting characters, some that believe in religion and some that don’t. Their journey takes them not only to people and places in the present but also many historical persons from the past. They even meet Jesus and the Virgin Mary during the later parts in the film.
In one scene where a church priest and a police officer are talking about the belief some have that Christ is in bread. Police officer says that it isn’t possible and will never believe in such thing. The priest mentions heretics that said such things and says that it is a mistake to think like that. However, just moments later he says that the Pateliers, the people who he just said were wrong in their beliefs, are actually correct and that he has had a revelation. When the surprised officer asks why he changed his beliefs, the priest throws a cup of coffee in his face. In the next scene, we learn that the priest is actually a mental patient who has apparently escaped. This is a way for Luis Buñuel to express his opinion on religion.
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