Wanderkind

Written and directed by Sean Penn, Into the Wild was inspired by the true story (and the John Krakauer best-selling book) of Christopher McCandless’ great journey through life.

Upon graduation from Emory University in 1990, 22-year-old McCandless (accomplishedly played by Emile Hirsch) walked out of his seemingly privileged life in search of adventure.

He had done everything that was expected of him by his domineering father (William Hurt) and his mother (Marcia Gay Harden), but it was time he did something he wanted, not something that was expected or predetermined.

So he destroyed his IDs and credit cards, cut Oxfam International a check for $24,000 – his fund for law school – and disappeared.

His determined quest took him from the wheat fields of South Dakota to a renegade trip down the Colorado River to the non-conformists’ refuge of Slab City, Calif., and ultimately to the remote Alaskan wilderness.

What happened to McCandless, who renamed himself Alexander Supertramp, on his way transformed him into an enduring symbol for countless people.

It also impacted the lives of those he left behind (including his sister) and those he met along the way (like the hippies played by Brian Dierker and Catherine Keener or Hal Holbrook’s war vet).

It was a selfish thing what he did, but sometimes to find happiness, to find meaning you have to renounce everything. He never called or wrote home, and he always let everyone know he just was tramping by on his way north.

Into the Wild stirred me with its beauty and with its sadness. To watch the story of the young man who reached out for what he wanted was inspiring, and although he did it his way, it was a little heartbreaking to see how he ended.

My Rating ****

Photo: Paramount Vantage.