Fit my taste exactly

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2007)

I read the book and liked it. And the movie was true to the book. (Movie even better in some tiny ways). I note that reviewers feel about this film more or less the way they feel about its subject, Chris McCandless. The judgments range from spoiled/ingrate to tragic hero. Most are personalizing the film based on their own histories regarding parental anger and forgiveness. I certainly did with my narcissistic doctor father.
Editorial note: Some people repress their parental anger--even to the point of not allowing it to come to the surface at all. The rage stays hidden and what you see is their fear when someone else "indulges" theirs.
I now see McCandless as having lived a fruitful life albeit a dangerous one. Danger-lovers have fuller lives, perhaps, but they "takes their chances." McCandless IS a hero, however, in the sense that he was "out there"--he wanted truth or nothing.