I saw an excellent movie last night. Much appreciated after literally sleeping through The Bee Movie on Saturday. And wouldn’t you know it, it was showing at the Princess Twin Cinema. If that movie house ever leaves town, we are in deep trouble.
It’s called Into the Wild - based on the true story of an exceedingly bright and deep-thinking twentysomething American who upon graduation from university, renounces a life of privilege, suffocating conformity and superficial materialism to pursue a search for truth and meaning. He rejects his dysfunctional parents and perhaps because of them and his upbringing, runs far and wide in search of himself. And this young man is serious about his particular calling; he donates his entire life savings - a cheque for 24-thousand dollars - to Oxfam, with handwritten instructions for them to feed somebody with it. He burns all of the cash in his possession.
He rejects his father’s offer of a new car - not because he couldn’t have used it, but because he doesn’t want “stuff” from his dad, he wants love.
And so young Christopher McCandless sets out across America with the burning desire to head deep into the woods of Alaska alone, and just exist. Along the way, he meets up with assorted unique and interesting characters whom he learns from and whom he teaches something to along the way. The journey is about our connectedness as fellow travellers.
His extreme rejection of superficiality and attempt at liberation from the conventional trappings of modern society is at times ludicrously naive, but also so inspiring that darn it if I didn’t think to myself “That’s it. I’m heading to Haliburton County to live in the highlands with a bunch of books and a good woman.” Everyone who comes into close contact with him, is irresistably drawn to him. And for good reason. He is just so real, so authentic. Just one of many lessons contained in this lengthy, quality film.
He finally gets to Alaska. Hitches a ride to big river country, surrounded by mountains, and disembarks into the cold and dreary wilderness, alone and determined, blissfully pursuing his appointment with destiny. Armed with a .22 calibre rifle, some very basic camping gear, a book on edible berries in the area and next-to-no food, he simply walks into the woods……..and……..
There are some scenes that deal with how he actually survived in the deep woods of Alaska, but that is not what this story is about. It is so much more than that. It is about the insatiable desire inside this young man to find meaning and truth and peace, about how some of us share that most elusive of dreams and about how others of us never give it a second thought.
Directed by the ever-thoughtful and brilliant Sean Penn, this is a cinema-lover’s film. It is a stimulating, inspiring and visually stunning refuge for two-and-a-half hours.