Knowing that "Into the Wild" was written and directed by Sean Penn and features songs by Eddie Vedder, you'd expect it to
be the most self-serious film ever made, full of lectures and humorless scolding. And there is some of that. The film is certainly the brooding, contemplative type. But it's also at times surprisingly emotional and unguarded, with a central performance that could be one of the year's best. Based on Jon Krakauer's book, it's the true story of Christopher McCandless, a privileged Virginia kid who at age 22 left his family and friends and set out on a two-year trek West, wandering from place to place before ending up in Alaska. He made reckless and foolhardy decisions and has become for today's disaffected youth either a folk hero or a cautionary tale, depending on your perspective. Penn seems to view McCandless as a tragic figure, and his film mixes the beautiful with the devastating. Nature is majestic, and communing with it can be rejuvenating; on the other hand, to be alone in the world is a terrible thing.
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