Poignant adventure story

Rating: Null/10 (26 June 2009)

When Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) graduated from college, he had one goal in life - to finally break away from his unhappy family and the constraints of society in general and live off the land in Alaska. The episodic film flashes back and forth between Chris' adventures in Alaska and the months leading up to it, focusing on the people who befriended him, including an aging hippie couple and a lonely, old man (well-played by the venerable Hal Holbrook).
Based on a true story and narrated with many of Chris' journal entries, the film is an emotional roller coaster; I was torn between admiring his youthful idealism and courage and hating him for the pain he inflicted on his family. The movie feels much like a documentary as it follows Chris hitchhiking and working his way across the country and then surviving, at first, quite well in Alaska.
Emile Hirsch is well-cast as Chris and makes you care about him right from the start. He did all of his demanding stunts himself and even lost 40 pounds to play the ailing Chris. It is a very touching story. Amid the splendor of the wilderness but ultimately alone, Chris finally understood that happiness is only real when it is shared. Highly recommended.