Into the Wild: Haunting and expansive

I've finally seen Into the Wild, a long-awaited film by Sean Penn (screenwriter and director). This is a review perhaps best told in 2 parts: 1st as a film lover, and 2ndly as an Alaskan.

As a film lover, I was blown away by Into the Wild. If I had to choose only a few words to describe it, I'd choose haunting and expansive. Haunting because the viewer knows the end from the start, and wrestles with determining whether Christopher McCandless (the young man who ultimately dies in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wild) is an Emersonian dreamer or simply a reckless youth -- the truth likely lies somewhere in  between.

And the cinematography, where to begin? Those beautiful, expansive shots of the American midwest and west: South Dakota, Arizona, California, Alaska... simply breathtaking.

It's a long film (150 minutes) and Penn lingers longer than necessary on some elements of the back story (the scenes in the desert slab village come to mind). However, those scenes provide a basis for later scenes including Hal Holbrook, whose performance is so touching and genuine that one feels they're watching two people interact in real life, rather than a Hollywood production. Other fine performances include those by Emile Hirsch (as our protagonist), William Hurt, Vince Vaughn, and Catherine Keener.

Now, for an Alaskan perspective -
As someone born and raised near the Alaskan Arctic Circle, I have mixed feelings about McCandless' pilgrimage. Sadly, far too many people roam to Alaska in search of themselves only to find that they cannot escape themselves -- they are who they are, no matter where they roam. Long-time Alaskans have a healthy respect for the outdoors and wilderness, and would never venture out so ill-prepared; however, those not from the far north may not realize just how extreme the elements can be, and naively venture out into situations they simply are not prepared for.

Also, as an Alaskan, it was surreal sitting in a theater seeing footage of my hometown (Fairbanks) shown in the opening scenes of a major motion picture. It was nice in a way, but also quite odd. I must say that Sean Penn did a fine job of showing Alaska as Alaska... it's a beautiful place but the elements can also be quite inhospitable.

Would I recommend Into the Wild? Yes. I just wouldn't recommend taking the same path Mr. McCandless did, i.e., ill-preparedly trying to find oneself in the Alaskan wild.

Note:

• If you haven't read Jon Krakauer's book, you may be interested in reading his article about these events in Outside Magazine, Death of an Innocent.
• And for Eddie Vedder fans, the soundtrack is excellent (I've just ordered it via Amazon).
• Also, an interesting article about the wildlife scenes.