Into the Wild

Im sitting here with mixed emotions trying to find a way to describe this film...or trying to write down my opinion. But its really hard. This is a film I pretty much wanted to see because of Sean Penn. I hadn't seen any of the other films he directed and Ive always liked his acting. He was brilliant in 'Mystic River' and I loved him in 'I Am Sam'...So when my sister asked me to go see this one with her (I think perhaps she developed a crush on Emile Hirsch after Alpha Dog...) I gladly came along.

When I decide to go see a film I avoid the reviews and critics and I try not to read much about it at all. I want to make up my own opinion first without being influenced by other peoples views. However, if the film sparks an interest (good or bad) I'll look it up and read anything I come across regarding reviews and interviews and all the other 'views' out there. So when I sat down in the theater to watch 'Into the wild' I had no idea this was a true story. I had no idea what it was about. The only thing I knew was that Sean Penn directed it and Emile Hirsch would appear in it.

I know you are supposed to give a synopsis when you write a review...but I guess this blog is no film-review site...it is just my opinion of various films...so I wont write the required synopsis. I'll just sum it up in one sentence; A young man (Emile Hirsch) is tired of society and the constant craving of things, and decides to leave everyone and everything behind and live in one with nature...in the wilderness of Alaska.

It doesnt sound like a very interesting synopsis...you probably think; "oh, not another one"..."Didnt Tom Hanks do that 'all-alone-far-away-from-modern-society'-kind of movie a couple of years ago?" But 'Into the Wild' is no 'Cast away'...It is a bold choice made by a young man...and the way this story ends rendered me sleepless for days. And thats why its hard for me to sit here and tell you exactly what I feel about this film. I cannot remember the last time a movie made this kind of impact on me...I just couldnt shake it. The rest of the evening I was quiet to the point where my boyfriend (who had just come home from a week of travel) thought I was angry with him...and the morning after I woke up feeling blue and just a general sadness I could not shake.

I guess telling you that the movie made me blue is not the best kind of advertisement...but sometimes a film can leave a mark...perhaps trigger an emotion you havent felt in a while...and in my opinion...any film that leaves an emotion in you that sticks even after you have left the theater...whether it is a feeling of happyness or sadness, is a good film.

-And 'Into the wild' is that film.