A lot of people dream about one day dropping everything and embarking on a carefree journey of profound spiritual awakening, but few are able to muster up enough audacity to make their fantasy a reality. Fifteen years after his own unapologetic trek into the heart of the Alaskan wilderness, 24-year-old Christopher McCandless has become somewhat of a larger-than-life icon for those who feel that there’s more to life than just luxury cars and trust funds. His unabashedly idealistic philosophies regarding truth and what it means to be alive are a rallying cry for anyone searching for meaning to their existence or just suffering from a bizarre case of hippie hangover.
Sean Penn’s penetrating new film “Into the Wild” attempts to capture Chris’s story in a way that shows not only what he did, but also the distressing circumstances that compelled him to make such a life-changing decision. We’re given a harrowing look into the soul of an enthusiastic and often frightened Ivy-League graduate in search of something way beyond what any classroom or corporate position could give him. Everything that surrounds him is a constant reminder of what he doesn’t want to become and the growing rift with his parents has finally pushed him over the edge.
Emile Hirsch delivers one of the finest performances of the year as he turns Chris into a likeable young man with an unflappable passion for life and a natural ability to see the good in all of God’s creations. At no time do we feel he’s pressing or unsure of his own ideals, because Hirsch’s talent for getting the audience on his side leaves no room for doubt about whether or not he’s seriously involved in the role. No matter what we think about Chris’s beliefs or decision making, we’re always rooting for him to overcome the boundaries of society and succeed on his quest for a “Great Alaskan Adventure.”
As his travels continue, he comes across a variety of characters that offer even more humor and substance to this already sprawling tale of self-discovery. Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, and the great Hal Holbrook all provide their own pieces to Chris’s mystical puzzle and help him get one step closer to personal enlightenment. Holbrook does especially fine work here as Ron Franz, a man who becomes a father-like figure to Chris and eventually offers to adopt him during their touching goodbye scene.
If grand performances and blistering cinematography aren’t enough, Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder serves up a visceral soundtrack that ends up elevating the film to another plane of intensity. Since he was personally asked by Penn to contribute, I think his heart was definitely in the right place and each one of these beautifully constructed songs seem to fit perfectly with what Chris was going through at that moment in time.
No matter what move Penn makes, he never loosens his grip on the gut-wrenching reality of what Chris’s situation eventually becomes. Every aspect of this film is genuine from the start and Penn’s splendid storytelling proves that this project came from a personal place that the public isn’t always privy to. I think he may have seen a little bit of himself in Alexander Supertramp (Chris changes his name) and felt this was a story just waiting to be told. For those of us who see it, maybe we feel the same.
- **** out of 4
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