Into the Wild

A well done, personal journey film based on a true story. The protagonist played by Emile Hirsch leaves home after college on a journey of self discovery. Partially he is out to do exactly what his parents would despise, partly he is out to find out what it is he loves. His travels lead him to change his name to Alex Supertramp and take him across the US (mostly in the west since his "home" is in the east), with his ultimate goal being to reach Alaska. Along the way, he meets fellow travelers, sympathetic employers and the occasional friendly stranger. I enjoyed watching the chance encounters with people and seeing how friendly they could be. Of course, the cynic in me also thought about how the film is really only showing the best encounters. There were not any dark moments throughout. Instead, it is a consistent positive experience of travel and discovery. There were two scenes which resonated with me. First, as Alex is kayaking through Lake Havasu, I could imagine myself doing that portion of the trip. Several days (weeks?) of just paddling, covering lots of distance without working too hard and having the canyon walls to reflect all your thoughts. I may have just identified my next summer plan. Secondly, when he approaches the river in Alaska and finds it too swift to cross. My immediate thoughts were lining up methods for crossing this river. The challenge of crossing the impossible for this young man who had been for two years living the impossible seemed like a no-brainer. But he went back. Did not even try to cross. Partly this is a commentary on his state of mind, that he was not really interested in crossing this river. But for me, if I ever come across that river, I now have my list of strategies ready to go. I get across that river.
4 stars (out of 5)