Westendorf Ski
Fancy going to Westendorf in Austria to ski? Well check out the Holiday Hypermarket's fabulous deals.

Film Review

09 January 2009 04:39 BST

Into the Wild

Directed by Sean Penn, starring Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart and Hal Holbrook, out November 9th, 140mins

In a nutshell…

One young man's journey to find the meaning of life in the wilderness of Alaska.

What's it all about?

Written and directed by Sean Penn (that's right, the actor), Into the Wild is based on the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a young man who upon graduating from Emory University gives his entire life savings of $24,000 to Oxfam and most of his possessions away before embarking on a journey to Alaska. His adventure to discover what is important in life is littered with accomplishments and victories, along with the people who become friends and family. In the end however, it is through all of his experiences that McCandless learns the greatest lesson of all.

Who's in it?

Emile Hirsch is fantastic as McCandless and in every way becomes his character to the point of no return. Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone serve well as his parents and only sister yet the true talent in this film can be seen in the various people McCandless encounters on his travels. Catherine Keener completely hits the nail on the head with her portrayal of a road-bound hippy and Brian Dierker as her partner also shines. Vince Vaughn is his usual comedic self, Kristen Stewart proves lovely and Hal Holbrook is a pleasure to watch as Mr Franz.

As an example…

"Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth" - Christopher McCandless

"Mr Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one" - Christopher McCandless

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?

Hirsch's performance is strong but Keener steals the film with her supporting role. If anyone deserves an award it is this woman.

What the others say

"…Though the film's structure may be tragic, its spirit is anything but. It is infused with an expansive, almost giddy sense of possibility, and it communicates a pure, unaffected delight in open spaces, fresh air and bright sunshine" – A.O. Scott, New York Times

"Immersed in hippie drivel and online cults, McCandless' complexity is never fully divulged in Penn's narrative, which is both an advantage and a hindrance. On the plus, it keeps the film jumpy and kinetic. On the negative, we'll probably never understand McCandless; maybe we weren't supposed to" – Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com

So is it any good?

At almost two-and-a-half hours Penn's tribute to a young man who searched for more in life is a long but engrossing tale. The film rolls like the tribute to the US that you expect it to be. Even though it didn't feature in the film, I couldn't help but think of Simon and Garfunkel's song America as McCandless travels in and around the vast and changing land he calls home. Instead, we are given a soundtrack almost entirely consisting of Eddie Veder songs, his rustic melodies and strained vocals adding to the portrayal of the lonesome wilderness both out and inside of Christopher McCandless.

McCandless is not painted as a Gandhi-like hero though Penn does heavily idolize him in the beginning. This serves to get the audience acquainted with the seductive notions of arrogance and power that can only come from someone so young. Soon the audience finds it hard not to scoff at someone who thinks they are wiser than all he meets at the tender age of 23.

Even in the beginning we see McCandless ignoring the signs of danger, Penn illustrating this when he focusses in on a sign warning of the flash flooding that destroys McCandless car. He drastically burns money in a defiant nod to the fact that he does not need it, yet his failure is to recognise that others might. It is here in the beginning of the film that the audience becomes privy to McCandless' youthful selfishness. He neither cares nor thinks about how his actions can affect others.

Along his travels he meets a number of people whom he touches with his warmth and philosophical nature. McCandless spouts the great words of others remembered from a childhood of reading classic novels. Yet in the same way he escaped reality then, he escapes reality now and he misses out on truly connecting with the people who love and care for him.

Unfortunately for McCandless in the end he finds out that the biggest commodity in life is not monetary, or within the self and it cannot always be found in nature, as he so firmly believes in the beginning. Sadly the only poetic and worthy piece of original writing he manages to jot down comes to him in his last moments of life, but they are the words that resonate long before the film is over.

Days after seeing this film I am still thinking about Into the Wild, McCandless and the wild American spaces he travelled through. If there is any indication of a good movie, it's definitely this.

7/10

Louise Cadell

Test your film knowledge and win...