KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * * *
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden
Director: Sean Penn
Running time: 148 mins
Rating: M, violence, offensive language & nudity
Screening: SkyCity and Hoyts
Verdict: A long, devastating and poetic journey worth taking
Based on a true story
and the bestselling book by Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild is the fascinating and devastating story of a young man, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who turns his back on his family, society and expectations to wander in the wild in search of adventure, happiness and himself.
Co-produced and directed by Sean Penn, the film starts off in Alaska where Chris, who now goes by the name Alexander Supertramp, is embarking on his greatest adventure.
We follow Chris' journey, without a map and with only the basic necessities, in this unforgiving landscape as the film flashes back through events of the past two years which have led to this point.
The film is divided into five chapters and as they unfold we discover Chris' dysfunctional family life is the reason this intelligent, well-read, middle class university graduate has suddenly donated his life savings (US$25,000.00) to charity, abandoned his possessions, and - armed with a backpack filled with his favourite books - fled civilization in search of freedom, truth, and a spiritual revolution. His sister Carine (Jane Malone) narrates the film, reflecting on Chris' decision and its impact on the rest of the family.
Accompanied by a great Eddie Vedder soundtrack, we follow Chris as he wanders aimlessly from California to South Dakota, illegally kayaking down the Colorado River into Mexico, and back north to Alaska. Along the way Chris meets an interesting collection of characters living on the edge of society whom he inspires, and yet he's stubbornly never inspired by their advice or experiences to contact his family. This is a film as much about pain, loneliness and the yearning to connect with people as it is about one man's desire to live alone in the wild.
It's hard not to get caught up in Chris' quest. Sean Penn makes a strong case about the entrapment of the materialistic world we live in with poetic and majestic landscapes and meditative moments. He occasionally overdoes it, but it works. When Chris briefly returns to LA on his way to Alaska, regardless of how urban you might be, it's hard not to feel as uncomfortable as Chris does in the seemingly vulgar city.
Sean Penn doesn't do anything lightly, and while this film clocks in at 148 minutes and is prone to wander story-wise as aimlessly as Chris, it's still a powerful and thought-provoking film. Regardless of whether you think Chris is a modern-day slacker, a naive idealist, heroic adventurer, or an idiot, this is one journey worth taking.