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Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) has definite plans after his graduation from Emory University; they just don’t quite match the Harvard Law picture he has painted for his mother and father (Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt). His donates his college fund to charity, packs up his beater of a car and heads west for adventure.
Christopher is equally drawn by the thrill of adventure and the poetry
of connecting with the natural world, as he is driven by his desire to
find truths and escape from the life of his parents and their materialistic
values. When he cuts ties with his past he cuts them all, his family hears
nothing from him – a harsh reality his closest sister, Carine (Jena Malone),
must come to terms with along with his parents.
His ultimate destination is to head to Alaska and brave the wilderness
alone. He crosses paths with some very interesting people along the way;
he develops a friendship with Wayne (Vince Vaughn) in the wheat fields
(and bars) of South Dakota, Jan and Rainey (Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker)
are more than just an old hippie couple, they are inspired by him and want
to protect him. Mr. Franz (Hal Holbrook) comes to love him as his own.
All of his encounters exchange a mix of wisdom, survival knowledge, humor
and love – and none of them want him to go...
Our first concern about this film was that it was a 2½-hour movie and it
could have easily been a pretentious epic. But in the hands of this wonderful
cast and under Sean Penn’s direction this is a story that, even knowing
the ending, you are swept along the journey and totally engaged. Jena Malone’s
narration gives you the background narrative with subtleties that paint
“the rest of the story” with as much dimension as what is being played
out on the screen. Emile Hirsch delivers his finest performance, his range
gives the character the depth and complexity where you can sympathize in
one moment and the next want to shake him and say get over it – you need
people! Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook play remarkable characters –
vital to the epiphany moment for McCandless. Even the parents, unlikable
as they are to start – have an evolution where you see them not as monsters
but as flawed people making their way in the world and when they grieve
it is heart wrenching.
Penn is masterful in his use of music (thank you Mr. Vedder) setting time
and mood with the film score. This is a lush film visually; shot all on
location - the landscapes he incorporates are characters in and of themselves.
And all of this manages to avoid being overly significant and heavy handed
with subtle uses of humor sprinkled in. This has some truly spectacular
moments, just remember that when you step out into the wild – life happens.
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