A triumph in every way

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2010)

Into The Wild. What an excellent film. I saw it back in 2007, and rewatched it to keep it fresh in my memory. It truly is a very beautiful and very personal film. Sean Penn is to be congratulated for pulling it off. His direction is superb, the cinematography and editing are excellent for the most part (at times they get a little bit too flashy, but just a minor flaw). The entire cast is superb. Catherine Keener is brilliant as always. Kristin Stewart is proving to be one of the most talented young faces. Hal Holbrook definitely deserved that Oscar nomination. He created the most touching character. The pain he went through seeing Chris making the mistake of his life, and their final scene together was simply the best scene of the film. I do admire Chris for setting out to do something that he believes in, but at the same time, one cannot help but think he is in over-his-head in this self- proclaimed pretension he has of living free and without barriers. He was an intelligent young man, but deeply misguided, and I do not believe Penn is in his side or against his beliefs. He made the film for the audience to either take this journey with him or take the journey into his own self-destruction. At the end though, Chris did learn from his mistakes, as can be seen with the line 'Love is only real when shared'. For that reason, this film is a true achievement. It is a sad and beautiful, but wrong, journey.