Shared Happiness

I saw Into the Wild this weekend, and I recommend it. I never read the book, but I was familiar with the story of Christopher McCandless and his fateful journey to Alaska, and I thought that the movie looked good.

The film is written and directed by Sean Penn, and he does a masterful job of portraying both the wild landscape and the emotional cores of the characters. Emile Hirsch stars as the sincere but misguided Christopher, aka Alexander Supertramp. Hirsch does an excellent job, especially since he is in almost every scene. He conveys both the character's passion and his selfishness, his exuberance and his sorrow. Hirsch goes to physical extremes, as well, and the result is a mature and thought-provoking performance.


But the most powerful part of the movie is Alex's relationship with a lonely old man named Ron Franz. Ron becomes a grandfather figure to Chris/Alex, and in the process they each impart great wisdom on each other. The great Hal Holbrook plays Ron Franz, and Holbrook becomes the emotional center of the movie. The scenes between these two actors are full of sadness and hope, and I had tears in my eyes for much of their storyline. Holbrook should get an Oscar nomination for this beautiful performance.

I have not decided if this is a great film. It is very good, with great parts. But Penn's focus on the lessons that McCandless might have learned from his experience add another moving dimension. Into the Wild is a film that I will be thinking about for a while.