Introduction
The film Into the Wild is about the true-life story of Christopher McCandless. McCandless was a student-athlete whose father was very materialistic and adamant that his son follows in his footsteps.
Main text
McCandless the boy knew there was more to life than just money and possessions and, to prove it, he destroyed all his credit cards and identification and took off in a used car to Alaska, where he was planning to just live off the land like a man out of the old west. It takes him two years to actually get to Alaska because he loses his car in a flood and decides that he will have a more fulfilling experience if he hitchhikes his way to Alaska, so he burns up all of his remaining cash.
When he arrives in Alaska, McCandless finds shelter in the Magic Bus, which was open to providing shelter for walkers, but there was no one else staying there at the time. When spring came, though, McCandless was isolated from everyone else by the streams that went by and eventually ran out of food.
He tried living off of the land, but his knowledge about edible plants was imperfect and he ended up eating a poisonous plant that killed him. Knowing he was dying, McCandless continued to write on the manuscript he’d started, giving his sister the knowledge she needed to preserve his memory.
The film is primarily concerned with the dynamics of the family and the changing family roles that occur as children become adults. The film begins when Chris graduates from Emory College and the family is expecting him to go on to law school. His decision to become Alex Supertramp is surprising to them as well as concerning as he disappears into the west. Part of this decision is brought about by problems within his own family as he learns the secrets of his father and begins to define himself in opposition to him. As he travels, he forms family-type relationships with the various people he meets, often surprising them because of his obvious level of education and high social class.
Summary
I really liked this film. It was able to touch the heart regarding the deep feelings of the individual and the sympathetic understanding and love of his younger sister.
In addition, it illustrated how close family-style relationships could form in a very short time period as Chris traveled across the country. I liked the thought that this could happen because it indicates that perhaps the world isn’t quite as evil as the media often makes it out to be. The film was beautifully made, managing to reflect the pure elemental force of nature as a source of healing while also presenting it in its true aspect as an uncaring and sometimes deadly force. The one problem I had with the film was its length.
I had a hard time sitting through it all at one time.