Must be seen--no,experienced-- to be believed

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2008)

I was already pretty well aware of this film from last fall,the story(or the broad outline of it anyway) of Christopher McCandless,the University graduate from a fairly well-to-do family who chucks his fortune and material goods to go up into rural Alaska,directed by Sean Penn and adapted off the book by JOn Krackhauer(spelling?). I was,initially,not sure how much I wanted to see this,but as time passed and heard more reviews and reactions,I became pretty certain that I wanted to see it,and after somewhat of a wait,I was finally able to.
I preface all of this because while seeing this,I was still awestruck,caught by things I'm not sure I was even prepared for.
McCandless(Emile Hirsch,in a profound performance that is both physical AND mental) spends the better part of(actually,I think it WAS) two years after graduating Emory University in Atlanta chucking his educational money and possessions to live a more "authentic" and "truthful" life,based at least in part on the book he's read (much of it THoreau,Tolstoy,Emerson,Lord Byron and Dostoyevsky). Through much of the two-and-three-quarters hours running time,we go on the journey in somewhat non-linear fashion, with reflections on both the journey itself and the narration of McCandless' loyal and heartbroken sister(Jena Malone,who was possibly my favorite element of this film). What we get is both a visual exploration of the wilds of Western America and Mexico and a bit of a meditation on personal desires and ambitions,be they foolish,noble or (quite possibly) both.
Supporting turns by Hal Holbrook (as the elderly loner who sees in McCandless--now known as Alex Supertramp--as the grandson he always wanted), CAtherine Keener (as the good-natured hippie who secretly pains for Chris/Alex's parents and family), Brian Dierker(as Keener's similar husband), Vince Vaughn (as the good-natured farmer who befriends Chris/Alex as he employs him),Kristen Stewart (as the hippie child who fancies him), Marcia Gay Harden (somewhat subdued as Chris' mother) and William Hurt (slightly bolder as Chris' materialistic father) truly set the tone for the story. Sean Penn's direction may even be a little heavy-handed for him (I personally liked his touches on "The Crossing Guard" or "The Pledge" better), but it still is made with a scope that makes the story full,beautiful,tragic and even poetic.
I noticed,through flipping through some reviews and message posts on it's IMDb site,that this film has encouraged about as many negative reactions as positive,mostly couched in the complaint that McCandless is portrayed as a beatific,almost religious character,a tragic hero that is fully realized. I would say that,while I can get where some people would feel that,I am of a mind that McCandless(certainly through the book,and possibly through the film,even if by accident) is actually a somewhat complex character: at once sympathetic and noble,yet painfully selfish and thoughtlessly cruel. He is both incredibly bright and yet a big enough fool to orchestrate his own demise. I may come to feel some affinity for the character(and I did) but I also realize that he was not hardly a flawless person. I suspect that anyone who sees this film may be the most satisfied by the movie if they can make this balance.
Anchored by haunting music composed by Michael Brook,Kaki GAutier and Eddie Vedder(who lends his voice to it as well) and breathtaking cinematography by Eddie Gautter,this movie is well worth a look,because descriptions cannot quite do this justice on their own.