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| Available at Amazon.com |
In 1990, having just graduated from Emory University, Chris donated the remainder of his college fund to charity, burned his driver’s license and social security card, and changed his name to Alexander Supertramp. He then set out on a cross-country journey to the Alaskan wilderness. Emboldened by the works of Emerson, Thoreau, and London, Chris—now Alexander—desired to live a pure life devoid of human contact and the petty, superficial demagogues of rampant consumerism and social standing. He wanted truth with a capital “T” and refused to compromise in his pilgrimage.
At least, that’s how Sean Penn and Jon Krakauer would want people to view this movie. Unfortunately, even though Alexander decries the phoniness and emptiness of his parents’ lives, and sees them as people who will say and do almost anything their struggle to achieve the American Dream, he seems to have no problem with lying to, and using, the people he meets in order to achieve his goal of reaching Alaska. Alexander is either ignorant, or in denial, of the hypocrisies of his own actions, and that makes him a very difficult character to like.
Although he has some legitimate complaints about his parents and the way they lived their lives of quiet desperation, his reaction is simply too much. He tries to cloak his motivations with powerful words from authors like Henry David Thoreau, but deep down he’s just a scared, angry man-child radically denying any and every thing his parents stood for, which makes him selfish—not noble. Time and again he shows this ugly side to his personality through his interactions with others.
It’s interesting that a movie about a person who seeks to shun humanity focuses entirely on the people he meets and how he affects their lives. During his two-year trip to Alaska, Alexander encounters a variety of compelling, compassionate people who help him on his way, such as Rainey and Jan Burres, a hippy couple who spiritually adopt Alexander as their son, or Wayne Westerberg, who gave Alexander his first real job after taking to the road. All of these people grow to care deeply about Alexander and consistently try to dissuade him from this idea of going to Alaska. In fact, one character, Ron Franz, offered to adopt the boy.
Alexander always ends up leaving these people to continue his journey, and has no regard to the pain that he causes them. He simply stays with them for a while, takes what they offer, and then moves on, which does not create the impression of the romantic, idealistic individualist the movie tries to portray.
What makes matters worse, though, is Alexander’s complete abandonment of his younger sister, Carine. Despite his intense disgust with his parents, Alexander was extremely close to his sister, who looked up to her older brother. He never tells her about his big adventure, and he never once contacted her during his time on the road. This creates an inconsistency at the core of his character: he does, after all, set out to cut all ties with humanity, but he needs human beings in order to achieve his goal. He despises his parents’ petty cruelties and absent-minded malice toward each other, but he is being cruel in his own right by not contacting his sister—who does not deserve such treatment anymore than he did when they were children.
However, despite my many issues with the protagonist, this is a very good movie. Into the Wild is a testament to Sean Penn’s talent as a screenwriter and director, because it is better than it should be. The acting is superb, and even though I didn’t care for Alexander, Emile Hirsch does a great job of capturing his complexity. And the supporting cast also shines. One of the most interesting characters in the movie is Rainey, played by Brian Dierker. This is Dierker’s first acting job. He was originally hired as Hirsch’s kayak trainer, and he was so personable and natural that they cast him in this rather important role. Equally good are Catherine Keener as Jan Burres, Vince Vaughn as Wayne Westerberg, and Hal Holbrook as Ron Franz. Holbrook was actually nominated for the Academy Award for this supporting role, and he certainly earned that nomination.
In a way, America acts as the final cast member. The cinematography of Into the Wild is beautiful, and each section of the United States that Alexander visits seems alive and almost teeming with an invisible power. From the harsh, cold beauty of the Alaskan wilderness, to the heartwarming wheat fields of South Dakota, to the vastness of the ocean, the movie captures the underlying life in each of these places, echoing the descriptions of the wilderness in the works that so moved Alexander. If nothing else, this is a beautiful movie to watch.
Although I couldn’t bring myself to like Alexander Supertramp, there is no denying the care and talent that everyone involved put into this movie. The problem, really, lies in the tone: Into the Wild is a tragedy portrayed as a celebration.
The movie was presented in widescreen in 16:9 aspect ratio, and it is a joy to look at. The filmmakers paid great attention to color and detail and many of the scenes are simply gorgeous. The audio was presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and like the video, the high quality and care to detail are evident.
Into the Wild: The Story, The Characters (running time: 21.53)
Much of this deals with the inspiration for this movie and the input given by writer Jon Krakauer and Alexander’s parents, Billie and Walt McCandless. One of the most interesting parts is listening to Jon Krakauer, because he clearly identifies too much with Christopher McCandless/Alexander Supertramp, and that may be a possible reason for the discrepancies between how Chris/Alex was characterized and how he acted.
Into the Wild: The Experience (running time: 17:18)
What really comes across in this featurette is the sense of family that seemed to exist between the cast and crew. Mostly, though, this dealt with technical aspects of the filming.
Theatrical Trailer (running time: 2:31)
It’s impossible to deny the skill and care that went into making this movie, and judging by the critical reception, I am probably in the minority when it comes to how I view Into the Wild. If this looks like something you’d be interested in then by all means rent it. There’s plenty to enjoy here.
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Paramount Home Entertainment presents Into the Wild. Written and Directed by Sean Penn. Starring Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, and Hal Holbrook. Running time: 148 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: March 4, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.
About Josh Begley
