As we approach the new year, we yearn for more freedom and independence, we’re another year older and wiser. We want to explore the world, fight for ourselves, get amongst nature. We want to become human beings. We might want to start fresh, eliminate any previous version of ourselves and become who we learn, not think we are. We might want to travel across the country, sneak across borders, learn to drive farming equipment or live amongst the free souls we call hippies.
I apologise for the hasty review, I’m currently serving a sentence of 10 years in Dapto Prison for the crime of not watching this film years earlier. ‘Into the Wild’ is a film I’ve had in my collection for about a year, but never sat down to watch it. It’s always an amazing feeling, finding you’ve had this diamond in your house for such a long time and only now you’ve seen the glistening reflection. Written and directed by Sean Penn, ‘Into the Wild’ is the story of 23-year-old Christopher McCandless who trekked across America into Alaska, finding the life he wants to live.
Christopher McCandless was a man who disregarded and abandoned his wealthy family lifestyle to experience the real world in all its glory. Along the way, Christopher comes in contact with hippies, farmers and an older gentleman named Franz who each offer him different ways of looking at life, the world and everything in it. Half the film is told in flashbacks leading up to Chris’s arrival in Alaska, the other half deals with his decision, discovering that his abandonment may not have been the best idea and ultimately leads to one of the most devastating film endings I’ve experienced.
Emile Hirche plays Christopher with such carefree energy that despite hardship after hardship, the film still feels like a breeze. Jena Malone plays Carine, Chris’s sister who narrates her experience once he left, detailing how his family dealt with his disappearance. My only wish is that we got a few more scenes showing her relationship with Chris.
The most notable appearance is Vince Vaughn as Wayne Westerberg, one of his more serious roles, a farmer who teaches and mentors Chris before being arrested for satellite piracy. Vaughn does such a great job blurring the lines between mentor and friend that he managed to remind me of quite a few people who did that for me.
‘Into the Wild’ is a 2-and-a-half-hour long film, but trust me, the end, though deeply saddening (and got me to continuously yell to the TV “please, no!”) makes it all worth it, if not for the lovable characters we meet on the way. I try not to give 5-star reviews out like candy, but ‘Into the Wild’ is clearly essential viewing, a film for humans about the most human desires of all.
Knowledge, independence, experience and the great beyond.
Mason’s Review: 5 Stars! Essential Viewing!
Mason Horsley is a graduate of UOW with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Arts, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Theatre. He hopes to write and direct a feature film and has been working on screenplays since he was 17. He writes film reviews for the Tertangala and works on his latest project ‘The Last Film’ while working a full-time job at a fish market. Mason despises reviewing films he dislikes and because of this, every review he writes acts as a recommendation.
Image Credit: screen shot/ Into The Wind