Mini Review: IntoThe Wild

Have you ever had the experience when there is a movie released and you know with your heart that you do not want to see it. You know you will dislike it, or find it annoying, or even hate it, but because of critical buzz and awards you kind of have to see it (if you are a true Oscars fan).
You buy tickets.
You sit down and watch.
Then it finishes and you then have the embarrassment of having to admit to yourself that you really did love it. It moved you and you see what the fuss was about.

This exact thing happened when I went to see “Into the Wild”.
I saw it the evening after the Oscar nominations were announced and the film was snubbed. I figured it was because it was not as good as every said it was.
Boy was I wrong.
Everything in this film is wondrous.

Sean Penn has crafted a story of real beauty and realism. He should have been rewarded for both his assured and moving direction and his unsentimental screenplay. The only times he stumbles is during the flash backs of Chris McCandless’s family, which come across as more Life Time Original Movie, then drama. He tried to do the video camera effect, but it is too stylized. However he does a miraculous job at show just what a beautiful and amazing place America can be when you get out into nature. When Chris come to L.A. the ugly of the city is overly done, but is effective at making the audience long for him to leave and get back into the wild.

Emile Hirsch does a wonderful job at portraying Chris, not as a saint, but as your typical overly self righteous and self involved college brat. And this choice in acting, writing and directing makes him all the more human. You hate him for the fear and sorrow his puts his family and loved ones through, but you admire him because he has seen so much and he has really lived a full life on his journey.

The smaller players are where the real emotion lies. These are people who are voices of reason mostly ignored by Chris, and they serve to highlight his selfish behaviour while loving him.
Character actress extraordinaire, Catherine Keener plays her role as grieving mother to perfection. Never giving too much away and staying true to her emotion. She is heart breaking with her quiet plead of a question “Does your Mother know where you are?”.
Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt are given roles with very little dimension yet they both manage to create a character you can sympathise with, especially as the film ends. Jena Malone should be highly commended for her performance of Carine, his sister. She narrates the film with beauty and emotion, explaining her brother as well as her family’s grief with such honesty that you grieve along with them.

Lastly I must mention Hal Holbrook. He was the only actor nominated for an Oscar and when you see the film you will understand why.
He is the last person Chris encounters and has a meaningful relationship with. He is a lonely man who has shut himself away from the world and the pain of his life. He is a proud man, but yearns for the love of a family and this boy is the nearest thing he has had in a long time. Holbrook is majestic in this role and your heart breaks for him when he is left alone again because this kid foolishly thinks he does not need anyone.

This is where the film succeeds the most. It accurately shows how when you are young you think you are invincible and you do not need anyone to survive.
This is never true when you face hard times. Unfortunately, near the end of his life, Chris McCandless faced extremely hard times alone. Things are never as you wish them to be. A-