Into the Wild (2007)

'Into The Wild' is less of a film and more of an insight to the adventurous mind of a young man fed up with society and it's constraints. A rare directorial offering from Sean Penn, this movie takes a predictable idea and executes it with incredible, soul-touching beauty. The plot follows the story of Christopher McCandless (skilfully portrayed by Emile Hirsch) and his adventures under the pseudonym of Alexander Supertramp. However the story itself is an adaptation of a book, which is based on the reality of the blissful travels of an American graduate. The tales set the film up for a host of drop-dead gorgeous landscapes through the countryside of Northern California, Canada and Alaska, which are beautifully captured by cinematographer Eric Gautier's stunning camera work. The characters include a host of 'free spirits', who each have their own message about freedom to contribute to Chris/Alex's outlook and desire toward living life to it's fullest. However, the meaningful nature of the plot is compromised midway through the film, by a section that devolves into a lost, romantic sub-plot between Hirsch and Kristen Stewart, who plays a young musician living in the Slab City camp site, amongst a collection of hippies and squatters. At first, it is assumed that Stewart's role is kept to that of a brief cameo, performing on stage in the camp. However, her doubtable acting ability is brought to the forefront as she and the protagonist build a confusing, awkward relationship in her brief 20 minutes of screen time. They share a musical number together, which borders on cliché, and then, just as suddenly, the affair is dismissed as Chris must continue his journey. After a misjudged offer of sex, she is thankfully removed from the film. Amongst the valiant effort of Hirsche's very effective method acting and the lacklustre offering from Stewart, the true runaway star in terms of acting is the elderly Hal Holbrook and his breathtaking performance as Ron Franz, a world-weary old man who Chris meets along the way. He is in the latter years of his life and having lost his family in a car accident, he sees Chris as the reincarnation of the son that he lost all those years ago. They form a bond in their short time together and this is really evident in the incredible chemistry between Hirsche and Holbrook on screen. This culminates in a truly heart warming sequence just prior to their parting, in which Ron asks if he can legally adopt Chris, as he has effectively left his conservative middle-class family behind. The emotion on Holbrook's face really portrays the love that Ron has found in this boy and when Chris postpones his reply until his planned return from Alaska, the blend of disappointment and fatherly understanding shown by Holbrook makes for a truly beautiful scene. Another key element of the experience of the film is the soundtrack, written and performed by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. His particular style of raw, wild music is applied to the acoustic folk rock of west coast hippies to yield a score that really fits side-by-side with the feel of this movie; the free natural beauty of the wilderness, with it's inherent harshness reflected in Vedder's strong, earthy voice. The themes and goals of this movie are all rather standard; rejection of society, a yearning for youthful freedom and, of course, bonding and love. However predictable the idea is, the execution of this film is soul-touchingly brilliant for the most part and seriously worth a place in any self-respecting movie fan's collection. Not quite a modern classic, but certainly a excellent piece of cinema.