Into the Wild: The Movie

Just last night, Jackie, Hayley and I watched Into the Wild, the movie.

The movie truly pulled me off the couch and threw me into the Alaskan wilderness. For once, I connected to Chris and felt like I could relate to him. Before watching the movie, it was always hard for me to understand Chris and what motivated him to go "into the wild." I would wonder, why did Chris hate society so much? And how could Chris be alone with himself, with no other human interactions for three months straight? But watching the movie answered these questions.

CHRIS

First of all, the movie displayed Chris's magnetic personality like no other. Watching him form relationships with Rainy, Jan, Wayne, etc was very entertaining. As well, the movie was somewhat surreal to me because Emilie Hirsch (who played Chris) was so convincing and looked so similar to the real Chris McCandless (See pictures to the right). I often found myself assuming this movie was a documentary, and that Emilie was truly the real Chris! Another reason why the movie was so captivating, is because it was filmed in the exact locations of Chris's true whereabouts. Whether it was Arizona, Alaska, or Carthage South Dakota, Sean Penn (director) had his film crew there. To me, this made the movie much more tangible and intriguing.

EMILIE

Finally, while I was watching the Special Features, I watched a short ten minute video called "The experience". It was the experience Emilie went through to become Chris McCandless. There were many amazing parts to this short video, but there is one thing I would like to share with you. To become Chris, Emilie lost 41 pounds, over the course of eight months. Its not camera magic or a different actor. Emilie, starting off at 156 lbs, ended the movie process at 115. That shows true dedication, and it makes me appreciate the movie even more. I recommend reading the book first, but most definitely do not miss out on this amazing film.