There are moments in Sean Penn's Into the Wild that could inspire even the most urban of urbanites to venture into the great American unknown. Whether the rough streets of Los Angeles, the lonely highways of the desert, or the great Alaskan wilderness, every stage is set to maximize the untamed American grandeur. And while the film's story may be simple, its inspiring results are anything but.
Emile Hirsch discards his formerly boyish imposition for the confused and frustrated role of true-to-life Christopher McCandless: an intelligent, literary young man who, after graduating with honors from Emory University, ditches his savings, possessions, and social standing in favor of hitchhiking his way towards, in his words, "a great Alaskan adventure."
A troubled middle-classed childhood and quarrelsome parents helped fuel young Christopher's yearning for Thoreau, Tolstoy, and the open road. He cuts his plastic, burns his Washingtons, and loses the car, taking only what he can carry when he gives his Harvard Law funds to charity. While privileged and talented, Christopher held himself to a high moral and societal standard that, as his younger sister explains in persistent voice-over narrative, made for a lonely existence. Now, while lonely, he at last finds freedom.
Those words speak true for not only Christopher, but for the film itself. Mildly eccentric but altogether fashioned with discerning, lithe hands, Into the Wild feels as irresponsibly invigorating as the young man who refashions himself as Alexander Supertramp. Overlong and uneven in its meandering, many will be turned off by its lack of structure. But it is clearly made with freedom in mind, and it is the flaws that win the movie favor. Imperfections make the people Christopher bonds with on the road special and tangible, and the same applies to the film.
The imperfections Christopher comes upon include notable performances by Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart, and Hal Holbrook. Holbrook in particular lends his iconic, saggy face and gentle eyes well to Hirsch's vibrant, driven demeanor. As a man who lost his wife and son decades earlier, Holbrook's Ron Franz provides a last refuge to Christopher in the California desert, before the traveler loses touch with what he is leaving behind.
Based on Jon Krakauer's non-fiction book of the same name, Sean Penn has penned and directed an experience of vision and vigor. Everything about the film is passionate and angry, as if ready to come undone, contained only by the barest of threads. Perhaps it is no wonder that Penn chose this material for his opus, and indeed he has made no qualms of his personal attachment to the project. Hirsch dropped somewhere near 30 pounds for the role, and the filmmakers visited every site the real Christopher McCandless did before 1992, when his body was found in the Alaskan wilderness. The dedication to the material is apparent, and Penn succeeds in conveying love for Christopher's story.
Any appreciation for Into the Wild must also make mention of Eddie Vedder's purposeful and unequaled soundtrack. As quietly furious and free-willed as Christopher himself, the film's wholly breathtaking visuals are matched only by the stirring music that accompanies them.
In all, the film is an achievement that will certainly outlast criticism of Penn himself, whose outspoken politics may lead many to pre-judge the beauty that he has crafted. One should view the film on the merits of the art, not the artist.
And by any standard, Into the Wild is art. A
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