A Journey Plot Summary
A Journey is a heartbreaking story of love and friendship that tells the story of three childhood best friends, Shane, Bryan, and Tupe. The story starts after Shane is diagnosed with cancer and her refusal to get treatment since she had gone through the same earlier with breast cancer, which she thought she had conquered. This time, Shane does not want to put her husband, Bryan, through financial and emotional strain, so instead of treatment, she decides to make a bucket list of the things she wants to do before she dies.
Although initially reluctant, Bryan implores their best friend, Tupe, to help him tick off Shane’s bucket list, hoping they can convince her to agree to treatment. The trio head to Tasmania, Australia, where they spend days driving around the country, eating exotic foods, and helping Shane reunite with her father. However, will Shane agree to get treatment? Will the trio get a chance to fulfil their wish to travel to Tasmania together every year?
What happens to Shane?
After a drunken night out with her husband Bryan and best friend Tupe, Shane wakes up the following morning and finds out that she is coughing blood. She visits the hospital and learns that she has a tumour in her lungs. Shane has suffered breast cancer and had fought and thought she had won the battle, but it turns out that the cancer returned and spread to her lungs. Shane gets a second opinion from an oncologist who confirms that she has cancer. However, Shane does not want to go through treatment, and instead, she makes a bucket list of the things she wants to do before she dies. Her list includes fixing her funeral, visiting their old school, exploring new places, eating exotic foods, seeing penguins, and meeting her father, Mr. T.
Her husband Bryan and best friend Tupe agree to help Shane check off her bucket list, which starts with a visit to the old school as the scenes juxtapose the trio’s present visit with their childhood experiences. They then arrange a visit to Tasmania, Australia, where they help Shane cross off other things on her bucket list, hoping to convince her to start treatment.
The plan works, and Shane decides to try treatment when returning to the Philippines. However, with Bryan’s death, Shane is not very motivated, but she still goes through with the chemotherapy session since she promised Bryan, and Tupe is with her every step of the way. In the end, Shane can no longer fight since she is not getting better and misses Bryan so much that she joins him in the afterlife.
What happens to Bryan?
After learning that his wife is sick, Bryan is heartbroken and willing to do anything to help her fight the cancer. However, he decides to give in to Shane’s wishes, allowing her to fulfil her bucket list, hoping he will convince her to agree to treatment later. In Tasmania, the couple fights because Bryan feels that Shane is selfish and unwilling to give him five or two more years together. A surprise renewal of vows in Australia convinces Shane to try treatment with the hope that they can visit Tasmania together every year, and Bryan is so excited about the news.
After they return home from the trip, Bryan and Shane spend a magical night together, and the next day, she wakes up early to prepare breakfast. Bryan wakes up later, and after he lets the dog out, he suddenly collapses and is rushed to the hospital. The doctors try their best to resuscitate him, but he dies. It turns out that a vein burst in his head since he had an aneurysm. The funeral that Shane had prepared for herself becomes Bryan’s funeral.
What happens to Tupe?
Tupe is an actor and a womanizer, and he is seen hitting on his co-star at the beginning of the movie. His manager warns him not to make a move on the girl since she is taken, but he does not agree and agrees to the girl’s request when he invites him back home. However, the girl’s boyfriend is a ruthless businessman, so when he finds them in bed together, he drags the girl away while his men beat up Tupe so severely that he is hospitalized. His reputation is ruined as negative news about the incident floods the internet, making him lose projects and sponsorship deals.
During the trip to Tasmania, Tupe opens up to Bryan, saying that he does not feel that anything he does is meaningful. He wonders if he can contribute to society by working as an actor. Bryan encourages him, saying he plays a significant role in helping people in distress and staying motivated. For instance, when people get home from work exhausted, they can tune in to one of their movies or television shows and feel relaxed and happy. He helps sad people find happiness in his shows and encourages his fans by giving them something to support and look forward to.
Although he enjoys acting, he wonders if he can make a comeback and get roles that he finds meaningful or win a Best Actor award. Bryan encourages him to challenge himself by taking roles out of his comfort zone, like acting as a villain or a minor role in a movie, instead of always choosing safe roles as a protagonist in a love story. After Bryan’s death, Tupe takes his advice and turns down any role that involves him acting as the leading man in a love story. He pitched the idea of making a movie about Shane and Bryan’s love story and finally won the Best Actor award.
What happens during the trip to Australia?
Tupe brings Bryan and Shane the flight tickets to Tasmania the night after they visit their old school while the couple is camping, looking at non-existent stars. Tupe and Bryan have arranged for the trip, so there is no chance to turn down an all-expenses paid trip. The three friends get to Tasmania, and Tupe hires a recreational vehicle to drive through the island, exploring beautiful scenery and trying delicious foods. The trio bicker along the way, excitedly walking along the river, discussing whether life is about the journey or the destination, and Shane says it is about the people. At night, they camp under the moonlight, and Shane crosses off exotic foods from her list when Bryan feeds her kangaroo meat.
Tupe and Bryan have a surprise for Shane. Tupe uses his connections to track down Shane’s father and meets them in Tasmania. Mr T. joins the trio for the rest of the journey until they see the little penguins. It seems that her father had another family, so Shane’s mother decided to let him go for her peace and Shane’s. She is no longer mad at her parents for the separation and understands her mother’s reasons. Shane is excited to spend time with her father.
#After a fight about Shane’s refusal to get treatment, Bryan arranges another surprise for Shane as he gives her father a chance to walk her down the aisle, and they renew their vows. On the last day of the trip, the trio goes to the beach, and Shane tells them that she has decided to get treatment and that they can get another chance to tour Australia the following year.
How Does A Journey End?
Tupe takes a trip to Tasmania – this time alone – and carries the couple penguins of Shane and Bryan, plus his Best Actor award. He leaves the items and their rings at the Little Penguin beach to remember his friends. Tupe then bumps into one of his fans, whose name is the same as Bryan’s nickname, Wako, and he invites her for a drink.
A Journey is a heart-wrenching movie with a tragic ending, but its sentimentality and light-heartedness to the crushing climax make it worthwhile. The script is well-written and has thought-provoking nuances about life. The trio debate deep topics such as whether life is about the journey or the destination. It emphasizes the importance of spending every part of the journey with the right people and making the most of it towards the destination.
Shane also talks about the importance of doing the things we want to do every other day rather than waiting until it is almost the end of life to make a bucket list. The chemistry among the three best friends shines through the movie, so viewers stay watching. Although the premise is nothing new, A Journey is a testament that a film does not need a unique story to be outstanding; it requires a touching narrative coupled with a good script and talented actors.