Into the Wild

[Cyre2067]

Caught this latest bit from Sean Penn this weekend and it was relatively intense. It follows the story of Christopher McCandless who, after graduating from Emory University gave up his 24k Grad School Fund, turned down his parents offer to buy him a new car, and set out west with no itinerary. He soon abandon's his car after it gets stuck in some serious mud and takes the rest of the adventure up on foot.

It's definitely an emotional journey, with allusions to the search for truth, the destruction of the false-personality and the meaning of human interaction. Friends and family and how they can impact eachother take on a central role in the film, as we see Chris impacting the various persons he meets along the way.

There's also the constant self-deception, and lies that Chris sees as a necessary part of our lifestyle. He comes from a rather tragic background and I don't wanna spoil it, but it gives him first hand experience with lieing and how lies kill truth. We also see a lot of references to karma, reaping what you sow, that kinda theme.

Overall the movie really hit me, it struck a chord, sotospeak. I cried more then I've ever cried for any movie before in my life, even walkin out of the theater I kept tryin to hold back bursts of tears. Eventually when i got to the car I just let it out for a good 5 minutes and slowly started to regain some composure.

Overall, intense, emotional, gripping, great story, awesome acting, and the script really kept the whole thing moving along. I'm into the book now, it's only 200 pgs, so when I finish that I'll post a review and maybe do some compare/contrasting.

 

[Cyre2067]

Finished the book, and it was definitely illuminating on a lot of the back story. It portrayed McCandless as a quixotic individual, one who recklessly pursued his ideals often impractically, and this is really what ended up getting him killed. He was also very stubborn, not wanting to take help and completely disregarded advice given to him even though he could feign interest or listening; as soon as the conversation was over however he'd quietly set about doing what he had originally intended.

He had a knack for learning things quickly, and then being able to do them extremely well. This also contributed to his death, as he had a strong overconfidence in being able to do anything he tasked himself with. His strong sense of independence and idealism came from authors like Jack London, Thoreau, Tolstoy, who had an affinity for the outdoors, for escapism into the wild, for the search for truth; though their idea of it and G's for example differed greatly. They seem to believe that truth can only be found when man is inches from death, fighting for survival, and independent of society.

What really aggravated me about him, is that he had a younger sister with whom he was very close. While on his journey, he did not contact her once, yet he wrote people that he met on his trip with surprising regularity. He was selfish in the extreme, he knew what kind of damage he would cause if he died, yet he didn't even consider this a possibility. Total hubris. And while the film portrayed him as justified due to his parents lies and abuse, in reality, we're all born with a chip on our shoulder, our own personal fucked up lives, and yet the film focuses on him as if he were special because of this; as if childhood trauma is the exception, when in fact it seems to be the rule. Esp here, we learn that sometimes we just have to forgive people for being who they are, and quietly acknowledge their inability to change. Sometimes writing them letters that never are meant to be read is a good way to deal psychologically, but this kid just packed up and walked away from everything he was and who made him that way. Unfortunately he began his journey in 1990, so he just missed the internet age.

Then again, i guess that was his karmic package.

So overall I'm kinda ambivalent now about McCandless. At first, I had great admiration and respect for what he was trying to do, but that was based on the incomplete picture that the movie presented. The movie also tugged on my heartstrings, playing me like some sort of instrument. I almost feel like a putz except i still think it was a good movie regardless of its shortcomings. The book gave me a more realistic picture, and that kinda balanced my feelings on the whole thing, so while I appreciate what he was trying to do I think he could have been a little less cocky, a little less arrogant, and a bit more respectful of the environment in which he tossed himself willy-nilly and thus able to walk out of it alive. Hell, if the kid would have brought an emergency map, compass, or radio he would still be alive. It's not like he would have had to use them, but since he found himself dieing it might have been helpful to know there was a way out(bridge over a river he couldn't cross) a few miles south of where he died.

 

[GRiM]

I think you describe the movie well, I just saw it and its very emotional and you definitely get hints of his selfishness. I think the moose-slaughter should have been a wake up call to him.
Still, i think the movie is really a lesson in many ways.

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

I saw this movie yesterday night and like Cyre, just could not stop crying, even 10 minutes after it was over.
I did not know it was based on a true story and when I realized it at the end of the movie, it was just too much. Some will say that it is manipulation, that Sean Penn wants you to cry, etc. Maybe.

I think that what moves people so much while watching this is maybe the fact that we all (well, most of us) have this craving, this yearning for truth, to be one with nature, to once again have the temerity of youth. I think that strikes a chord in most of us.

But it's true that McCandless was selfish, stubborn. As a mum, I identified with the agony of the parents, of course. But a lot of people are selfish and stubborn, especially at 23.
On Wikipedia, a Park ranger suggested that coming to Alaska without any preparation is suicide, so maybe that was what he was aiming at (even unconsciously).

Regardless of what one thinks about McCandless, the movie is beautiful, with superb photography, lovely songs by Eddie Vedder and a great performance by all the actors. And I think the movie is a great starting point for a debate class or a discussion between teenagers and parents.

 

[Turgon]

I just saw this movie last night, and I fully agree with all that was said earlier in this thread. It really tugged on my heartstrings. It was definitely a story of a man attempting to find freedom in life, to rid himself of the false in himself, without ever knowing that it was the false that was truly guiding most of his actions. I respect an individual who can make the type of leaps he did in life, surviving and thriving in the most harsh, natural environments in North America, but he never wanted to see or realize some basic truths, such as that of family and friendship. Building good relationships and not forgetting, but forgiving past mistakes and moving on. He was headstrong and stubborn, which helps in many situations, but it eventually led to his death in the movie.

SPOILER

What truly got to me was what he wrote in his book near the end "Happiness only real when shared". It was a touching way to end the movie on something just about anyone can relate to.