Into the Wild 10/26/07

Into the Wild ventures to places that no other movies dare to go. Frank discussions about life, love, truth, honesty, independence, and beauty. It embraces these subjects and takes no prisoners. What a relief it is to find a film that will go so deep. Truly we laugh sometimes, we find the sight of Alexander Supertramp dragging his kayak through the Grand Canyon absurd. We giggle at the scraggly scruffy man walking the streets of Los Angelos. But underneath it is clear that he knows something that we don't and that there is something inside of him that allows him to do things we would never do, or are sure we cannot. This is one of the years best films.

This was adapted from a very good book by John Krakauer, who also wrote Into Thin Air. The book is a short easy read and it is told in a very uncinematic way. It is a testament to the filmmakers how they made the film work, and how every expansion and addition to the story was correct and appropriate. I love especially the swimming in the ocean, the conversations with Wayne (Vince Vaughn), and the love story (break my heart that God=love place they found and I'm sure actually exists.)
One scene made the movie for me. Alexander Supertramp (Christopher McCandless played by Emile Hirsch in a fantastic peformance) is kayaking down the Grand Canyon when he meets a random Scandinavian couple. They offer him hot dogs and talk excited German. Most people might think this is ridiculous but anyone who has been travelling will not. I travelled the world once upon a time, and I have had such encounters. Whether its a Brit in Chile, Canadians in Greece, an American professor in Krakow, a young married couple on a night train to Copenhagen, A Brazilian in Vienna. I once got lost in Italy, slept on a deserted walkway, and ended up talking to a drunk Spaniard named Lucas for a half hour at 1am. Good times. When watching this movie, I realized a certain nostalgia creep in. The movie felt like all those times I hiked alone in woods or up mountains, those endless walks in deserted cities. Pompeii, Kilimanjaro, Grand Canyon, Tuscany, Jungfraujoch, windmills in Amsterdam in a rain storm. The exhiliration one feels when witnessing a sight that is truly awesome. It is true that this happens only when one is alone. All the senses are heightened and everything is more intense and exciting. This movie knows that feeling inside and out. At two and a half hours it is short.
If anything this movie will get some recognition for Cinematography. There are so many incredible shots in this picture. birds in a sunset, alaskan mountains, the grand canyon, everything. For every hiker, biker, or people who like walking outside once in a while, I wholeheartedly recommend this movie.