Into the Wild
Directed by Sean Penn, "Into the Wild" is based on a true story and the bestselling
book by Jon Krakauer. After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and
athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possess-ions, gave his entire $24,000
savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along
the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life. |
|
Emile Hirsch
Marcia Gay Harden
William Hurt
Vince Vaughn
Catherine Keener |
... Christopher McCandless
... Billie McCandless
... Walt McCandless
... Wayne Westerberg
... Jan Burres |
Having starred with Marcia Gay Harden in "Mystic River", director Sean Penn knew she had
the chops for the role. In just a few terse scenes, Harden would be challenged to bring all the
complexities of a flawed mother mystified by her son’s rebellion and ultimately his
disappearance to the surface. Harden notes that she went into the role certain of one thing:
"It was very important to me and to Bill Hurt to bring a humanity to these parents."
She also was determined to allow the character to be shaded in many hues of basic
human emotions and vulnerability. "I knew I didn’t want Billie to in any way feel onedimensional
or like some sort of villain," she explains. "I think when you are playing
someone who is a real person, you have a responsibility to try to understand their reality and
not pass any kind of judgment. I felt a strong need to understand Billie’s motivations, her
desires, and to look at how unwittingly she found herself in this tragic situation with her son."
Ultimately the actress was able to spend some time getting to know the real Billie
McCandless. "We went to lunch and I also met Walt and we talked for hour and hours and
looked at photographs," she recalls. "I came away with some very distinct impressions of the
family that I tried to incorporate. I also noticed later that there were certain gestures of hers
that I picked up, almost by osmosis."
While Harden grew to see the deep humanity in Billie McCandless, she also saw why
Chris chafed so strongly against his parents’ entire way of life. "I think Chris was a very
sensitive soul," she observes, "and he felt that his parents, like many people, were involved in
various lies and destructive behavior in their lives and he didn’t want to accept this behavior
or play that part of the game. It wasn’t that he couldn’t hack it, but that he refused to. In his
act of disappearance, I think there was a lot of anger."
Harden was especially impressed by how succinctly Emile Hirsch captured that
volatile, driving cocktail of emotions in Chris. "In the same moment, he shows anger and
sullenness along with the hurt of a child who just wants to be loved," she says.
"Into the Wild" is, first and foremost, a drama about the struggle of self-finding and the loss of reality. While
the theatrical trailer might be a bit misguiding to present this as an adventerous journey, Sean Penn made sure to
tell this true story with all lengths and drawbacks. What made it difficult to watch at
times is the constant switch of time, characters and places which makes it hard to rest
with one episode as it rushes to the next. Still, the film stays in mind for its ensemble
work with many riveting performances, such as Hal Halbrook's performance that received him
an Oscar nominaion, or Catherine Keener's segment. Marcia's part as McCandless' mother is rather small, although her part
is discussed throughout the whole film. On the bottom line, "Into the Wild" is a sometimes
funny, often sad film with some lengths, wonderful performances and a very well chosen soundtrack.
Official Website features trailer, photos and more
Internet Movie Database additional information
Production Notes featuring comprehensive background information
Christopher McCandless Wikipedia entry on the real McCandless
