Into The Wild

That aside, this film, based on a real story, seems to be told with much care and respect to the truth. Written and directed by Sean Penn, it’s adapted from Jon Krakauer’s book by the same name, an expanded version of his 1993 Outside article, which tells the true story of Christopher Johnson McCandless.

McCandless was a middle-class, intelligent and well-educated Southern boy who, after graduating college, gave his money to OXFAM, changed his name to Alex Supertramp, and went on a spiritual and physical journey through the extremes of his heart and of the North American continent to finally end up in Alaska.

As is made clear from the title cards, and by Penn himself in interviews like this one, this is a coming-of-age journey. It’s a film about growing up and being in the world on your own terms. Alex goes out seeking something, although we are not quite sure what it is. Whether this directionlessness is a deliberate attempt to put us in Alex’ shoes or just sloppy filmmaking is not entirely clear. To be frank, Penn’s directorial choices are baffling at times, especially in an awful and uncalled for moment where Alex acknowledges the camera, breaking the "4th wall" of cinema in a totally gratuitous moment that does nothing to further the plot and totally takes you out of the action for a while.

However, for all its faults, the film works. The realistic, slow and fumbling feel makes the emotional impact, when it comes, a complete surprise – and absolutely devastating. And casting and performances are great across the board.

The almost impossibly young Emile Hirsch can’t have been much more than 20 when filming began, and he is perfect in the lead role, a boy in spite of his impressive beard growth. He totally looks like an obnoxious privileged college kid in the beginning - and by the end, he looks like an insightful and calm man. This is achieved by acting, but sadly Mr Penn feels the need to put big title cards in every ten minutes or so, telling us this is what is going on.

Catherine Keener and Brian Dierker are great as the kindly hippie couple whom Alex stays with for a while. The even younger Kristen Stewart is impossibly irresistible as the temptation back to society and the world of people. Vince Vaughn is good and genuine. Heck, even Mr Bombastic himself, William Hurt, is remarkably restrained throughout his performance as Alex’ father.

The cinematography is also lovely, with an embarrassment of majestic and wide-open landscapes, in all seasons and colours, the way they only make them in Big Sky America. Indeed, the colours are so warm and fuzzy they recall Agfa films from the 70s and belies the actual setting of the film, the early 90s. How well this prettiness transfers to DVD is a good question, though. My gut says catch this on the big screen while you can.

Sadly, though, as a whole, I wonder if Penn couldn’t have tied it together better. He seems so intent on hammering home points about the evils of SOCIETY that for a long time, Alex emerges as almost a caricature of the angry young man: someone who is unable to accept any human company because some of humanity is so corrupt.

What emerges if one scratches the surface a little, however, is something much more compelling: a very sad picture of Alex as a young and kind-hearted person who is offered so much love by so many people, but can’t or won’t accept it for reasons we don’t know.

If Penn had focused on that story, this might have been the masterpiece it occasionally whispers through the wind in the leaves of the tree and the roar of the almighty river. As it is, it’s a very lovely, haunting, human and flawed hint at something deep, dark, precious and true.

Into The Wild is playing at Salon Cinema 1 until Oct 3. Screening times are 18:50-21:25 until Sep 26, and 19:15-21:50 Sep 27 - Oct 3.