Film Reviews

Into the Wild

• Rating:
• Director: Sean Penn
• Starring: Catherine Keener
• Details: US / 140mins (15A).

After graduating from college, bookish Christopher McCandless (Hirsch) gives away his entire savings to Oxfam, tears up his ID and heads out into the unknown to be "emancipated from material excess" and gain "ultimate freedom". With his final destination being Alaska, Christopher - who renames himself Alexander Supertramp - meets Catherine Keener's hippie, Vince Vaughn's harvester and Hal Holbrook's old widower on his travels. Based on a true story, Into The Wild, clocking in at over two hours, is a meandering, plotless, structurally-fractured film, knit together by Carine McCandless's (Jena Malone) Terrence Malick-influenced narration. It can at times be a frustrating experience, as we're used to films being more direct and ordered, but if it's allowed to just be what it is, Into The Wild can be an experience that is repeatedly rewarding - even days after the viewing. The film mirrors McCandless's persona; freeing himself from the confines of formulaic filmmaking, Penn, who delivers some awe-inspiring scenic shots that rival Jeremiah Johnson, allows the film to digress, and go where it wants to go instead of forcing it into a box. The relatively-unknown Hirsch fills McCandless's boots with a truly magnetic performance that allows his character to be more than words in a script; almost operating outside the film, he becomes an idea, an ethos, a way of life. Not for everyone, it has to be said - but if you're in the mood for something different, Into The Wild is worth checking out.

Review by Gavin Burke