What is Man's place in Nature?

Rating: 8/10 (17 May 2008)

Who among us hasn't, at one time or another, dreamed of one day chucking the whole "corporate rat race/adult responsibility" thing and moving to an isolated cabin in the woods where we would be free to get in touch with our inner selves and become one with nature? Yet, even though many of us have fantasized about doing such a thing, few of us have had the intestinal fortitude or psychological wherewithal to actually go out and do it. Well, Christopher McCandless actually DID go out and do it - though with sadly tragic results for both the young man and those dearest to him.
At the age of 22, McCandless could have had the life of privilege, comfort and financial success natural to one who had just graduated with honors from a prestigious institution like Emory University (especially one with wealthy parents). Instead, he chose a different path for himself, one that would reject the materialistic values of the world around him and send him on a journey of self-discovery which, despite the best of intentions, would prove fatal to him in the long run. Over a two-year period, from 1990 to 1992, Chris traveled all across North America - on foot, by kayak, by bumming rides off strangers - finally ending up in the wilderness of Alaska where he was to meet his tragic fate. Along the way, he encountered numerous colorful characters who made a mark on his heart. This adventure was popularized in the best-selling book "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer, who reconstructed McCandless' experiences largely from notes and journal entries left behind by the young man and through interviews with certain key players in the drama.
For the movie version, writer/director Sean Penn has made Chris' devoted sister, Carine, the narrator and chief commentator on the action. It is through her reflections that we come to understand some of the reasoning behind Chris' remarkable willingness to forego all the creature comforts of the modern world that the rest of us seem to cling to so tenaciously. As with any tale of a picaresque nature, "Into the Wild" is more a series of vignettes than a fully fleshed-out drama, and, thus, it has an occasional tendency to ramble and wander aimlessly. Yet, its narrative looseness is clearly a large part of the story's charm. Moreover, Penn keeps it tightly knit together through the narration, the use of flashbacks, the scenes involving Chris' parents, and the mesmerizing fluidity of the camera-work. And, naturally, the evocative, richly variegated landscapes against which the story unfolds play a crucial role in the overall richness of the film.
Some have charged the movie with romanticizing and glorifying an individual who was arguably sociopathic and whose actions and decisions ultimately led to his own death. Yet, while Penn clearly wants us to identify with Chris' sense of idealism and carpe diem spirit, the filmmaker also acknowledges that there are some serious psychological issues at play here, mostly brought on by the young man's being raised by two obviously dysfunctional parents. Yet, the movie is also about how important it is for us to forgive those who have wronged us and to not allow bitterness to determine the course of our lives.
With his boyish looks and unprepossessing manner, Emile Hirsch embodies the devil-may-care spirit of what is, essentially, a 20th Century version of Henry David Thoreau. In relatively small but crucial roles, William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden leave an indelible mark as Chris's parents. The many individuals he meets along the way are embodied by Brian H. Dierker, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, and, most memorably, Hal Holbrook, heartbreaking in his Oscar-nominated performance as an old desert-dweller who offers to adopt Chris as his son.
In the end, "Into the Wild" can be read as much as a cautionary tale as one championing the cause of unbridled individuality. Like "Grizzly Man," it shows how an obsession with nature and an unrealistic disdain for civilization can lead to disastrous consequences for individuals unequipped to deal with the harsh realities of the natural world. If anything, both films serve as a call for reasonableness and balance in determining mankind's proper place in the overall scheme of things.