One Man's Jouney

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2013)

Based on the Jon Krakauer non-fiction bestseller about Christopher McCandless(played by Emile Hirsh) a young man who had just graduated from college in 1990 who decided to put his future on hold to fulfill a personal ambition to hitchhike to Alaska(after abandoning his disabled car) in order to survive in the wilderness on his own, living off what he can hunt and gather from the land. Along the way on his two-year journey he meets all kinds of people like Ron Franz(played by Hal Holbrook), a lonely old man who wants to adopt Chris, but he politely refuses, since he isn't orphaned, having two worried parents(played by William Hurt & Marcia Gay Harden) as well as a sister(played by Jena Malone) back home, who serves as narrator of his life, which will have a most tragic end... Superb version of the fascinating book has fine acting by all, especially Hirsh, and exquisite direction by Sean Penn. Does leave out certain (potentially) unappealing parts of Chris' personality, but well captures the yearning to be one with nature, and rebel against a modern society he dislikes.
Will resonate in particular with those tempted at any point in their lives to become such a homeless wanderer(knowing the undeniable risks involved), punctuated by his haunting final words from a postcard he sent: "I now walk into the wild"...