FILM: Into the Wild
On: Film4 (15)
Date: Thursday 16th December 2010
Time: 21:00 to 23:50 (2 hours and 50 minutes long)
Sean Penn's Oscar-nominated drama is based on the true story of Chris McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch. In 1992, McCandless sent his law school fund to Oxfam, abandoned his possessions and hiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness, seeking to re-engage with nature. He found an abandoned school bus, which became his home as he attempted to survive the harsh conditions. Interspersed with McCandless's musings on the philosophy that drives him are flashbacks to his parents Walt and Billie, which give further insight into his life. And there are revealing encounters on the road with ageing hippies, a hard-drinking farmer and Ron Franz, almost an older version of McCandless and the one man who sees, with some apprehension, what he seeks. Hirsch turns in a mesmerising performance as a troubled yet compelling individual in this relentless, gripping film.
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2007, 15, 4 Star)
Director: Sean Penn
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian H. Dierker, Catherine Keener
