I have finally managed to see Sean Penn directed movie ‘Into The Wild’ which he made in 2007. A great film with a memorable and convincing central performance by Emile Hirsch in the role of Christopher McCandless (‘Alexander Supertramp’) . The music score featuring original songs by Eddie Vedder is also first rate.
The life of McCandless has become known, and romanticised, thanks largely to the book of his short life by Jon Krakauer which the film is based on .
Desperate times call for desperate measures and he clearly reasoned that an extreme gesture was called for when the alternative would have been to accept a system that judges people solely in terms of wealth, fame and possessions. McLandless’ uncompromising rejection of the consumer society appeals to the Kerouac spirit in us all but also serves as a warning. I admire his strength of character and determination but he is not my idea of a role model.
For him to go into an unforgiving landscape with only the basics for survival (not even a compass) was surely more an extreme act of folly than daring. In quest of the ultimate freedom he was unwavering and was not prepared to make any concession to his old life. The people he met on his journey towards Alaska all urged him to make contact with his family, at least to tell them that he was alive. He never did.
I understand why McCandless had a downer on his parents but he had no real beef with his sister and could easily have called her. You could call this single minded and admire his lack of compromise but it also reveals a selfish disregard for the feelings of others which is less easy to justify .
Ironically, it is only when he knew he is close to death of starvation that we see him questioning his decision to live as a self-centred loner. He writes the line “happiness is only real when shared”, an insight that came too late to act upon
The moral for me is that going out into the wild is one thing, learning from the experience and sharing the wisdom with others is quite another. McCandless was an ultimate short-term planner and payed the price. He has become a hero mainly because he died so young rather than because he achieved anything.
- Into the Wild of Into the Wild (slog.thestranger.com)
- Review: Into the Wild (typewritesocialite.blogspot.com)
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There is something sick and depraved at the heart of this movie, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.
