(1) Brilliant film (2) the protagonist and his story is simultaneously inspiring and idiotic

Rating: Null/10 (18 March 2010)

Sean Penn and crew did an excellent job here. Cinematography and editing are great and real locations are used to full potential. Emile Hirsch is phenomenal and Hal Holbrook also really stands out. Special mention of Brian Dierker, acting for the first and (so far) only time, as Rainey: a feat even if he IS basically that character, because getting in front of a camera instantly turns most of us into anything but who we naturally are. His chemistry with Catherine Keener is stellar and the two are part of the film's heart and soul.
Supertramp's journey is compelling in many ways, whether followed by book or by film. But there's much polarization regarding whether Alex/Chris was a visionary prophet of the road (or, at the very least, a free spirit on a Thoreau kick) or an utterly self-indulgent moron. I'm one who emphatically sees him as BOTH, and then some.
I grew up in settings that allowed me access to a lot of outdoor experience, including formative years living at an outdoor-pursuits center where my parents worked. Thus I had easy entrée to outdoor activity and the tools with which to hone skills necessary to survival in the wild, to deal with things when it all goes wrong (as it surely will) without freaking out excessively and letting panic doom me or anyone else. I also saw for myself that Nature is wonderful and Gaia-licious but that she really doesn't care if we live or die; I see the natural world with both a 'romanticized' and a very pragmatic, survival-based eye, both being part of the truth.
My whole life's involved study of Nature, including years of field research experience (PhD in ecology) diving on coral reefs in far-flung places on the edge of the blue horizon. Did I have near misses with my own mortality during that time? Sure did. Was I 'adventurous'? Well, yeah, in terms of having what might be called 'adventures' in exotic places around dangerous animals (I studied one for my doctorate). I have also more than once hit the road and vagabonded, the longest such bout being at age 20 back in the '80s. So, yeah, I can relate very strongly to Chris' drive, and to what he felt out there on the edge, where you never know from day to day where you'll be at nightfall and, indeed, even if you'll be alive. It's simultaneously exhilarating and scary.
The BIG difference between someone like me and someone like McCandless, though, is that he went flat-out against the wall at every turn, rashly leaping into things way above his head. You can only get away with that kind of thing so long. If I 'have an adventure' I know my capabilities and where they start to fade. It's risk management. Some of what such people do may look bold and brave but you can't tell, from looking, what they're REALLY doing: if they're well trained and aware of the risks and their environment they may actually be playing it quite cautiously within bounds of experience and ability. Film stunt players are good examples, too: what looks totally out of control is actually carefully planned (well, ideally) and rehearsed by specialists. Pushing boundaries is fine but in doing so you want to control the risk you know is there; you may still mess up, but at least the fall may be survivable.
Sometimes you have the adventure and sometimes the adventure has you. The idea is to minimize that last possibility. You must know what you KNOW and know what you DON'T know. Young Chris was woefully unprepared for many of his adventures, pushing boundaries without knowing what they really WERE, careening off boundary after boundary. It's amazing he made it as far as he did. On one level I salute him for that, and admire his zeal and passion, but on another I recognize him as irresponsible and self-centered. He was a sensitive, intelligent, self-indulgent young man with a mind full of pithy quotes and concepts from Literature who failed to see past the most superficial of those lessons and parables. He was an idealist, and I can appreciate that, but he forgot that we all have to get by in the real world and that cost him everything.
Is he the sage hero some proclaim? Well, if his story inspires you, go emulate his ideal but PLEASE first learn a thing or two about what your journey might require. I'm disconcerted to find a whole Internet subculture that basically worships Chris and his folly. Idiots. Chris' death was unnecessary and stupid, but a likely outcome. He basically failed to remain humble in the face of Nature. Whether clueless or arrogant, that sort of thing doesn't make for happy endings. His should be a cautionary tale in this aspect, not an inspirational one.
Regardless, as a film this succeeds on every level; a masterpiece. If it was mythology it'd be just as powerful. Sean Penn comes uncomfortably close at times to painting Chris as Jesus-like, the Magic Hobo, but he does at least acknowledge the cruel effect of Chris deserting his parents (and his sister) and the final realization that his journey's epiphany was, thanks to the Nature in which he sought to immerse himself, impossible to realize. The film also shows that, for all Chris' vaunted self-sufficiency, throughout his travels he relied on help from others, many portrayed as surrogate parental figures: the clues to his final realization were there all along, every step of the way. When he finally found what he wanted it did him no good because he could not go back again. Forget all the back and forth over whether Supertramp was a wise wanderer or a self-indulgent little jerk, really, because this consideration is a timeless thought, and this film manages to convey a few of those.
Excellent job, all involved. Rest in peace, Christopher Johnson McCandless.