Movie Review: Into the Wild

Into the Wild is Sean Penn's adaptation of the book by Jon Krakauer. Apparently the movie is quite faithful and filmed in all the actual locations. It tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who after graduating college shed himself of material possessions and travelled around the country for two years until he realized his dream of going to the wilds of Alaska.

Penn obviously loved the material. The story is told intertwining the Alaska portion of the trip with previous times. A voice over of his sister tells of his family life before, including the troubled marriage of his parents. There's much more narrative than a Terrance Malick film but there are long passages that inspired by his meditational style.

McCandless actions are extreme and deliberate. He vanishes from his family and doesn't communicate with them. After abandoning his car and literally burning his money, he wanders with a backpack and meets people. In spite of the fact that he never stays too long he does form strong friendships. A well-read person, he's able to offer insights on life by quoting from the likes of Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, and Henry David Thoreau; to the extent that one hippie asks if he's Jesus.

Emile Hirsch plays McCandless. For most of the film he goes by the name of Alexander Supertramp. Following in DeNiro's, Brody's and Bale's footsteps he undergoes significant physical changes as he prepares for his trip and struggles through some difficult months on his own trying to feed himself. It's a wonderful performance. He's believable in his adventures and friendships and he walks the nuanced line well of is he doing something wonderful or crazy. Sure Penn romanticizes it a bit but plenty of people will leave the theater scratching their heads.

There' are two quotes at the end of the film I particularly liked. I'm not sure they're spoilers but I think they both work better with the film behind them so I won't include them here. Instead see the movie and enjoy them. I don't think it will change your life, certainly not as much as McCandless', but it might de-stress you, just for a few hours.