Mesmerising and Moving

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2011)

Sean Pean directs the true story of Christopher McCandles, a. k. a. Alexander Supertramp, a twenty-something guy who left behind family, money and a promising career and start a solo trip around the USA to collect money and prepare himself for a solo expedition to the Alaska wilderness. The script is based both on his personal diary, his sister's memories, and those of the people who Chris met on the road.
Penn has surrounded himself with a group of great supporting actors, who are great in their respective roles. Emile Hirsch, the leading actor, offers a very powerful performance portraying Chris' free spirit and strong willpower with sensitivity and honesty.
The two and a half hours of footage really flow because Penn tells the story in a very fresh and light way, without losing content and depth in the way. The use of the camera mixes the subjective and the objective point of view, offering different tempos who suit well the viewing of such a long movie.
What does mean to be free? Chris knew what meant to him, and what to do and what to sacrifice to achieve freedom, to be himself. The overwhelming strength of Christ's spirit is superbly explored and presented to the viewer by an inspired Penn, who is true to the real wilderness of Chris' spirit, to the depths of his soul, without a mainstream teary approach.
A mesmerizing movie and story that left me in awe.