Compelling

Rating: 8/10 (7 April 2008)

Angry after having lived a lie for many years a guy leaves his home town and life behind right after graduation. Hitch-hiking across the USA he eventually makes it to Alaska where he lives for some time longer.
Based on the life of a real man this film tells a story that is already known by many. I haven't read the book it is based on, so I can't say whether it is a good adaptation or not. The events depicted are clear enough though. On his way through life the main person is changed by the people he meets and the things he gets to do - and in many cases he changes whoever he runs in to. And as his tale grows longer his life becomes more complex and he becomes less of the person he was when he left his city.
As a film it was for me a combination of TV episodes of Jacques Cousteau, and a lot of elements from The Straight Story. Apart from the fact that this film is a dramatized version of reality it never raises far above the level of a "good" film. It is good, but not great. The main reason behind that being the way it distracts at some points from the real center of the film - the guy that makes the trip. I can't put a more solid finger on it, but at some points it just shies away from the main subject too much.
8 out of 10 miles hiked