THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
A great way to enjoy life is to take it in a direction you’re not prepared for. I would’ve not learned that if not watching Into the Wild.
PLOT
Based on the novel by Jon Krakauer, the film centers on the life of Christopher McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp. In May 1990, he graduated from Emory University and due to being disenchanted with modern society, he abandons his conventional life to begin experiencing life in the wilderness. He gets rid of personal documents and credit cards, while also donating his savings to Oxfam. He doesn’t tell his parents Walt and Billie of what he’s doing, nor does he tell his sister Carine as he chooses to not keep in touch with them during his departure. When he reaches Lake Mead, his car is caught in a flash flood, resulting in him to decide abandoning it and begin hitchhiking. During his brief period in Northern California, he encounters a hippie couple named Jan and Rainey, who he unexpectedly helps rekindle their failing relationship. In September of ‘90, he briefly works for a contract harvesting company in Carthage, South Dakota, owned by Wayne Westerberg. He then decides to keep moving when Wayne gets arrested for satellite piracy. Upon reaching the Colorado River, he travels by kayak without a license until arriving in Mexico. When he loses the kayak in a dust storm, he would travel on freight trains to Los Angeles. His stay doesn’t last long when feeling corrupted by modern civilization. He continues to hitchhike when kicked off a freight train by a railroad police officer. In December ‘91, he encounters Jan & Rainey again at Slab City in the Imperial Valley. There, he encounters a teenage girl named Tracy who quickly is interested in him. He turns down her advances when discovering she’s underage, but keeps things in good terms with her when performing a song with her at night in front of the locals. When the holiday season concludes, he makes haste towards Alaska as he’s declared of going there since his time with Wayne. One month after leaving Slab City, he camps near Salton City and encounters a widowed veteran named Ron Franz who occupies his time in a workshop as an amateur worker. For the next two months, Charlie would spend time with him, learning the craft of leatherwork. The new talent inspires him to make a belt that details his travels. Once those months go by, he intends to continue his travel which disappoints Ron as he felt close to him. However, gifts him with camping/travel gear before he leaves. In April ‘92, he reaches a remote area in Alaska and makes shelter in an abandoned city bus he would call ‘The Magic Bus’. He does comfort with the nature surrounding him as he hunts with a .22 caliber rifle, reads books and writes about his thoughts in a diary. Four months later, Alexander’s life in the wild becomes harder and realizes nature is harsh and uncaring when his supplies dwindle and his attempt to preserve meat from a moose he hunted backfires. He is then forced to stay within the vicinity of the Magic Bus when the closest stream grows wider due to a snow thaw, making it unable to cross. When he relies on eating plants, he accidentally eats a poisonous one that causes him to go ill. Before he dies in his sleeping bag, he documents his process of self realization, fantasizes reuniting with his family and writes a farewell to the world. The film ends in an epilogue stating that two weeks after Alexander died, his body was found by moose hunters and on 9/19/92, Carine carried his ashes from Alaska to Virginia in her backpack.
THOUGHTS
When I turned 18 years old, my father always recommended this film to me. After a few years of finding the right time to see it, we made the time and it was all worth it because I absolutely loved it. As a director, Sean Penn succeeds in sharing a powerful story that brings out the adventurous side that we all have, while showing viewers how beautiful yet dangerous the world is. In between the fantastic cinematography by Eric Gautier and the pleasant soundtrack by Eddie Vedder, he also inspires people to make countless memories but share it with others along the way. This wouldn't be clear without the electric performance of Emile Hirsch as Christopher/Alexander. His lack of caring for material made him humble in his own way because he had nothing to be selfish about. The journey he made meant so much to him because he desire being self reliant. However, seeing his dream come true was not as satisfying as he hoped. When things got harder, a part of him felt regret of leaving behind his connection to people. Before he died, he wrote "Happiness is only real when shared" which chokes me up for being so true. Communication isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean it applies with every person we talk to. Even though his exit from society partially resulted from not getting along with his parents, his final fantasy proves how he still wished things were better. The best thing about Alex is that everywhere he went and every person he met, he changed their lives for the better. When you first look at William Hurt & Marcia Gay Harden as his parents Walt & Billie, you knew they were unhappy no matter how successful they were and having children sadly didn't make it better. But when Christopher left, they realized how bad they were hurting each other and wished for forgiveness had he came back. I adored Jena Malone as Carine because through her narration, you do feel how she naturally loved her brother more than anyone ever could. She may have not known what he did at first, but when she read his diary and recounts their life together, she understood why and became proud of him doing something that made him happy. When seeing Catherine Keener & Brian H Dierker as Jan & Rainey, you feel this comfortable layer of warmth as they come off as carefree as Alexander. In their brief time together, they brought the best of each other. Alex reminded the couple to appreciate each other, while they encourage him to bond with others before it's too late. Without exaggeration, I actually enjoyed Kristen Stewart's brief appearance as Tracy because whenever she sung or simply stared at Alex, you felt that she was misguided and didn't know what direction she wanted to take her life. Thankfully, her encounter with him inspired her experience society first before living carefree like he did. Briefly seeing her at a school dance shows her baby steps before setting things in motion come adulthood. I always smiled whenever seeing Vince Vaughn when playing Wayne because if it wasn't for his own set of carefree energy, Alex would have likely never went to Alaska. Last but definitely not least, I was moved deeply with Hal Holbrook's Oscar nominated performance as Ron Franz. While everyone was kind to Alex along the way, Ron was the most gentle soul he ever encountered. He is awe inspiring in his own right because he overcame depression when realizing his deceased family would've not wanted to take such a bad path. As he continued to live his quiet life, he was bored until he met Alex and it broke his heart when he chose to leave because he didn't want to be alone before he died. Based on how old he appeared, it is safe to say that it wasn't too long for them to reunite in the heavens. In conclusion, Into the Wild is an incredible film for opening our minds to exponential heights and is recommended for those who desire that exact feeling.
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