by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
A Rated R 140 min
When Sean Penn read Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, he, like millions of other readers, was moved deeply by the true story of Chris McCandless who, after graduating with honors from Emory University, hit the road, abandoning his family and friends to find universal truth. Penn was determined to write a screenplay and direct a movie about this remarkable young man’s adventures. After the usual struggle to get the movie financed, Penn gathered his stellar cast and crew on location, with Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown) playing Chris, and unequivocally, shot the best picture this year.
Indeed, Into the Wild is Penn’s magnum opus. As evidenced by Penn’s inspired direction, it’s obvious that he identified spiritually and philosophically with Chris’ journey into his heart of darkness. Hirsch went to extremes to get inside Chris’ skin and soul with his Oscar-worthy performance. Hirsch channels Chris with a mesmerizing, in-depth characterization. He lost 40 pounds to get into the role and revels in the physical challenges.
Penn was determined to walk in the same footsteps as Chris. He setup in the same locations that Chris traveled for over two years. Chris launched his epic journey after burning his driver’s license and credit cards. He gave away $24,000 in savings to find meaning in his life. Of course, most young men want to travel the world after college, backpacking through India or Europe, finding adventure and learning about other cultures, but Chris took this wanderlust to the extreme. Like a monk on sabbatical, Chris was seeking answers to his most profound questions by divorcing himself from the work-a-day world of the classic American dream seekers. (“Little houses on the hillside made of ticky-tacky.”) Viewers sense that Chris is suffering from some serious disconnect caused by something that happened in his youth, which is driving his radical renunciation of the material world.
Jena Malone plays Chris’ sister, Carine. She is the narrator that explains certain aspects of Chris’ motivations for his estrangement from his affluent parents, Walt (William Hurt) and Billie (Marcia Gay Harden). Given that all young people are alienated from their parents, Chris’ estrangement ran much deeper. Nonetheless, Chris, who called himself Alexander Supertramp, first travels to a South Dakota farm managed by Wayne Westerberg (Vince Vaughan) which then inspires a dangerous kayak trip down to Mexico. Later, Chris finds himself in a trailer shared by Jan (Catherine Keener) and Rainey (Brian Dieker). An unconsummated romance blooms with underage Tracy (Kristen Stewart) at an RV camp in the California desert. Chris’ need for meaningful adult interaction finds him consulting with a lonely old man, Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook).
These side trips direct Chris to his ultimate destination, Alaska, where he endures months of isolation and deprivation. This phase of the story reveals a troubled young man who has slipped into loneliness and depression, but he’s hooked on his wilderness experience. Here Penn draws out an incredibly dense and nuanced performance from Hirsch, who, by now, has become one with Chris McCandless’ spirit. In Alaska, he entered a spiritual anti-world between life and death – a place where he may find the answers he’s looking for, but will it be too late? Penn’s stark mosaic and wide spacial vistas will draw the viewer into Chris’ consciousness where he finally learns the ultimate meaning of life.
As Chris’ travels further to the melding of his soul with the wilderness, Eddie Vedder’s dark hypnotic songs set the tone of the story. Vedder’s soundtrack is the best work he has ever done to date. The music emotionally drives the theme of this remarkable young man’s trip into his inner soul, as he struggles against all odds. It’s an exalting experience. Frankly, this is the best film of the year so far!
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
