Into The Wild

This movie covers the adventurous journey of a young mans dream after college.

Spoiler alert: Do not read on.

This 2007 feature film was directed by Sean Penn. It stars actor Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandlesss, and well known actress Kristen Stewart has a small role as Tracy Tatro. Actor Vince Vaughn also has a role in the movie as Wayne West.

Christopher’s journey begins with a goal to live off the grid in Alaska. He donates all his savings to charity by writing a check that reads “Feed someone with this!”. He burns up his Social Security card. He then sets out in his old Datsun across the country and eventually out west. The car is destroyed in a flash flood near Lake Mead. Frustrated, he burns all his money. He then sets out on foot, hitchhiking all over the west, and eventually makes it to Alaska.

It is quite saddening to learn why he set out on this path. Growing up, he and his sister watched their parents physically fight often. At graduation, he ran and jumped up on stage instead of using the stairs. He didn’t believe in policy, rules, or society. That having a career is not the way, rather finding the truth in life was.

When told he had to wait nearly 12 years for a rafting permit, he simply went and did it. For any other amateur, this is not something you should try. The Colorado River has some of the roughest rapids in North America. Many have died.

There were many people that he met along the way that tried to talk him out of going to Alaska. A co-worker on a corn farm eventually gave him tips on how to hunt big game.

The best part of this movie was watching his personality capture the interest of everyone he met. He brought life to this world. His journal said it all. A life this free should be shared. God created it all. We’ll miss you Alexander Supertramp.

Tips:

For those of you wanting to go “live off the grid”, it is best to do your due diligence, and prepare to live off the land. Study the regional edible and not edible plants and berries. Research the wildlife and determine if you can live off that. Same goes for the weather patterns. In this case, the wilderness won out.

Overall:

I thought it was a very good movie. Emile played the part exceptionally well. His sister should get a lot of the credit for having narrated the story. I find it difficult to find any criticism.