Into the Wild

Sean Penn’s new movie, Into the Wild, is an extremely moving and heartfelt tale of one person’s relationship with nature and the people around him.

That one person was Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), who abandoned all his worldly possessions after graduating from Emory University and embarked on an adventure that eventually led him to the Alaska wild. His adventure was detailed in Jon Krakauer’s book of the same title.

Into the Wild is the first movie this year that I foresee as a true Oscar contender. I love the small musical Once, but it may be too small to garner enough Oscar attention (I hope I will be proved wrong here.). Into the Wild does not dwindle on any frivolous relationships in everyday life, but pursues something far deeper. McCandless was a genuine Renaissance man. While we all have our own ideals, few of us have the courage to break the status quo and passionately pursue it. McCandless saw life differently and found it meaningless to conform to anything he does not believe in. During his journey, he worked for a guy named Wayne (played by Vince Vaughn). When he talked to Wayne about his plan to go to Alaska, Wayne said to him, “you are young.” Yes, he was young. When do we lose all that purity and innocence that come with youth? When do we stop seeing the beauty all around us?

I feel this movie is very close to director Sean Penn’s heart. Formerly a “wild boy” actor, I suspect that he connects his own rebellious spirit with McCandless’ story. He deftly divides McCandless’ life into five chapters to create a provocative film about a young man’s journey to discover himself and life. The movie would have been far less effective if Penn had dwindled too long on McCandless’ unhappy family life. Instead, Penn touches on McCandless’ upbringing sporadically in each of the five chapters. We are acquainted with his background while at the same time spared any melodrama.

Cinematographer Eric Gautier has done a wonderful job to mix the landscape seamlessly into the story. The film was shot in the actual locations where McCandless traveled and the scenery is spectacular. One look at what nature has provided us and you can understand McCandless’ desire to be part of that nature. Penn and Gautier use quite a few panorama shots to show how tiny an individual is in relation to nature. While looking down at McCandless’ minuscule form from the high camera angle, the viewers can feel the awe McCandless must have felt countless times in his surroundings.

As much as the movie is about McCandless’ love for nature and freedom, Into the Wild is even more of a human drama. McCandless’ outlook on life and his idealism has forever transformed people he met on the way to Alaska. Even though none of them could ever be as brave and pure as him, every single one of them has been touched by him and they have influenced him as well. Hippie couples Jan and Rainey (played by Catherine Keener and non-professional actor Brian Dierker) were his surrogate parents; Wayne was his surrogate older brother; Tracy (played by Kristen Stewart) was his could-be sweetheart; and old man Ron (played by Hal Holbrook) may be the most important supporting character in McCandless’ story. Ron was another loner like McCandless, but they chose very different path. Ron appears in the last chapter of the movie – Getting of Wisdom. It was my favorite part of the movie. It pits conventional wisdom held by Ron against McCandless’ idealism. In the end, Ron admired McCandless’ determination and dream even though he might have suspected the price McCandless might have to pay for his dream. The scene between the old man and the young man is exceptionally touching and your heart aches for them.

The cast of the movie deserves a lot of credit. Maybe because Penn is an actor himself, he knows not to crowd his actors and gives them room to express themselves. All the performances are stellar, but Hirsch shines above all. I am glad that Penn decided against having Leonardo DiCaprio play McCandless. The role needs a fresh face, one closer in age. Young actor Hirsch has appeared in a handful of teen movies, but this movie is a defining point for his career and can possibly be the highlight of his career. After all, a role like McCandless may just come along once in a lifetime. Occasionally the twinkle in Hirsch’s eyes betray his movie star quality, but most of times he is completely believable as the innocent youth uncorrupted by materialism all around us. He and all other actors enjoy each other’s on-screen company and it is infectious. When the time comes for him to part with each of the characters, the feelings are full and true.

In the 1950s, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road was published and defined a whole new Beat Generation. McCandless’ story is “On the Road” for 90s young people, except that I find him far superior than Kerouac: he didn’t need alcohol, drug or sex to fulfill his love for freedom, all he needed was the natural bond between him and nature. The tragedy lies in the end when McCandless realized that “happiness is only real when shared”. Youth has its endless beauty, yet it also has its limitation of knowledge that comes with age.