Into the Wild is Sean Penn’s fifth directorial film, in which he wrote the screenplay from the novel written by Jon Krakauer, about Christopher McCandles and his trek to the great American North: Alaska. Based on a true story, Into the Wild is a narrative following the solo journey of McCandles aka Alexander Supertramp (played by Emile Hirsch of Lords of Dogtown and Taking Woodstock).
Essentially, he is a young man trying to find his place in the world and finds comfort in the writings of Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, W.H. Davies, and Henry David Thoreau. Raised in an upper middle class dysfunctional family, he rejects the modern world of obligations, responsibility, material possessions and labels,and tries to pursue a lifestyle of solitude as he travels across the country. “Careers are a 20th century invention,” he says as he explains his reasoning. Keen on being one with nature and finding happiness in simplicity, Supertramp is guided by several strangers he meets along the way as he prepares for his greatest adventure—Alaska. Once in Alaska, he finds shelter in a bus dubbed the “Magic Bus 142″. He hunts small game and lives off of plants, berries, and a small sack off rice while he finds meaning in the words of his favorite writers.
Living his life in solitude, he comes upon the epiphany, that he later writes in one of his books, that “Happiness is only real when it is shared.” Memories of his family flood into consciousness and he dreams of his return, back into their arms in his home in Virginia. However, the small stream he had crossed earlier in the year turns into a wide unwavering river. Inexperienced and ideally ill-prepared for the wilderness, he eventually succumbs and becomes a prisoner of the land. He is forced to stay in the “Magic Bus”, and running low on food he mistakenly eats an inedible and dangerous berry that, if not treated, leads to death by starvation. Two weeks later his body is found by huntsmen, wrapped in his sleeping bag.
It is a profoundly breathtaking and emotional film of one man’s exploration beyond the material world and societal expectations. It is also a journey of the soul; that when your calling beckons, you must follow. No matter the outcome.
Cast: Emile Hirsch (Christopher McCandles)
Credits: Directed by Sean Penn; screenplay by Sean Penn based on the book by Jon Krakauer; produced by Sean Penn, Art Linson, and William Pohlad. A Paramont Vantage release. Running time: 148 min.
Good movie and a good read. I would recommend this film. Check it.