Into the Wild

Sean Penn's directorial debut transforms Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild into a feature length film. The film chronicles the disillusioned mid-twenties crisis of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). McCandless finishes University, decides not to study law at Harvard, and, much to his parent's dismay, begins a reclusive voyage across the United States (with the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp). His goal is to reach and live within the wilds of Alaska. Along the way, he encounters several free-spirited individuals including Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook, and the always entertaining Vince Vaughn. Supertramp's travels are fun to watch, his gritty adventurous spirit a free flowing flame glowing throughout the American wilderness. His insights and observations are thought provoking as well, as he hitchhikes along, using quotations from his favourite authors to guide and frame his experience.

Into the Wild is a coming of age film, about life and different ways of approaching it. There are many paths that one can travel and choosing one is not easy. Supertramp seeks one that is natural, living in the woods like Thoreau as a way to confront and discover truth. His pursuit is both bold and naive, the simply complicated consequences of not knowing where or how to fit in. He cannot escape the memories of his parents’ problematic marriage, and his travels are thoroughly haunted by them. Penn's direction juxtaposes their impact with the increasing worries of his family and insights from his sister Carine (Jena Malone), thereby depicting the troubling effects of individuality, and the ways in which hardship transforms relationships. Solutions to these explorations are by no means stable, and Into the Wild illustrates that one's existence is inextricably qualified by their convoluted relations to others.