hopinet

Into the Wild

17th January 2009

Into the Wild is based on a true story, originally a book by Jon Krakauer of the same title, the screenplay is written by Sean Penn who also directs. The film follows Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), we pick up his story just as he is graduating from Emory University. Due to reasons I won’t go into now Chris runs away making sure he can’t be found by ditching his car and removing the plates.

We then follow Chris over the next couple of years of his life, we follow his ‘journey’ eventually ending up in Alaska, we see him meet different people, form relationships, the different places he ends up in, all the things that happened to him that are important for his quest of ‘self discovery’ (for want of a better description).

Chris is obviously a well educated young man but during his ‘journey’ he makes some foolish decisions – some bring him fantastic experiences, some don’t. The film also shows how selfish he is, especially when it comes to his family. These character flaws make him real which is so important – no one’s perfect! Into the Wild is (in my opinion) what a a film should be, it’s beautiful shot with stunning scenery, some fantastic performances and at it’s centre is a great story. It’s brilliant thought provoking cinema, a must see.

More information at IMDB