When was the last time you saw a movie that took you by storm; when you sat spellbound even when it ends and the credits begin to roll ...
"Into the Wild" is that kind of a movie. A thought provoking plot (based on true story) that cuts across geographies, cultures and demographics. It depicts the contrast of what we really want and what others make us think we want in life. I would recommend one watches it alone.
Every actor aspires for that one defining role in his/her career to catapult into the next league; Amitabh Bachchan got it with Zanzeer, Brad Pitt with Fight Club.
Emile Hirsch comes of age here .. a stunning performance. He acts the part, looks the part; rather, lives the part.
Sean Penn is a creative powerhouse. This movie is spellbinding; to pen a script and give it such an enigmatic and graceful treatment suggests Sean Penn's connection to the persona of Christopher McCandless at some level.
I loved few of his intuitive genius touches:
A. Complementing a situation with the sound of guitar in background and narrating the authors like Thoreau and Tolstoy whose works McCandless carried with him.
B. The breathtaking cinematography, capturing nature's grandeur and terror in the same shots. (I later looked up and found the cinematographer is Eric Gautier, also associated with The Motorcycle Diaries)
C. The impact of side-characters; Rainey, Jan, Wayne and Ron. They come and go, making sense to McCandless's Odyssey.
D. Narration about McCandless by his younger sister.
Some quiet moments convey so much; McCandless standing with his arms wide open, looking at the city lights; when he burns money, cards and other identification; how he feels for the moose that goes bad.
In the end, Christopher McCandless; dead at 24 in a wilderness of Alaska.
His disillusionment with society is explained through dysfunctional family and disturbed childhood.
Still, that is not the reason everyone connects with him.
He reminds me of Buddha, renouncing civilization, embracing nature. He becomes a man free of bondage; no family, no home. Westerners have always been fascinated with seeking the greater truth ... many have come to India; some famous ones like Steve Jobs and The Beatles.
Was he a coward, who ran from life and died out of arrogance and stupidity? Did the uncompromising choices he faced scare him? I think he was a lone hero, who had the guts to go out in search of answers.
We like him because he acted; did not bear with something he did not understand.
We all have had this urge at some point or the other, when we desperately seek to restore meanings to our actions and to this life. But we all either outgrow this phase or bury this feeling. Nobody can deny the fact that something drives some of us to drop out of society; go on a quest and test ourselves in other ways; The famous Walkabout program in Australia is a living testament.
This movie touches everyone; because deep inside, we all believe in Christopher McCandless.
Cheers to "Alexander Supertramp".
