Sean Penn's Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (19 November 2007)

"Into the Wild" is based on a true story and the bestselling book by Jon Krakauer. After graduating, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned all his possessions, gave his entire savings to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
The cinematography of this motion picture is absolutely breath-taking. This is a splendid example of film-making. In addition, I was particular blown away by the performances. In fact, to have this young talent Emile Hirsch working with the old, veteran Hal Holbrook makes the film a must-see. Their scene in the truck near the end is one of the best pieces of acting I have ever seen, as well as easily the most moving scene of the year. The young Emile Hirsch surprised Hollywood and Penn gets a terrific performance out of him, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn and William Hurt.
Chris' story is worth telling and "Into the Wild" shows this. It is a remarkable film. The two hours and a half are over before you know it, and by then you care not only for the lead character, but for all sympathetic characters we have met on the way.
The snubs were tremendous for Sean Penn (Best Directing, Best Adapted Scerenplay), Hirsch (Best Leading Actor) and Keener (Best Supporting Actres). Not even Eddie Vedder got any respect for his score and songs or Eric Gautier for his excellent cinematography. No one will ever understand the Academy. 9/10