Into the Wild

Just watched a film called Into the Wild by Sean Penn.

I found it because the soundtrack is by Eddie Vedder - my favourite vocalist.

It's one of those films that that just leaves you thinking

An amazing true story.

Into the Wild recounts the life of Christopher McCandless, an actual student-athlete at Emory University, as told by his sympathetic sister. In response to his parents, whom McCandless perceives as materialistic, manipulative, and domineering, McCandless destroys all of his credit cards and identification documents, donates $24,000 (nearly his entire savings) to Oxfam, and sets out on a cross-country drive in his well-used but reliable Datsun towards his ultimate goal: to live alone and off the land in Alaska. Along the way, he leaves his automobile in the course of a flash flood, to hitchhike his way there after burning the remainder of his dwindling cash supply. Taking an unintentionally circuitous route, he encounters many unconventional individuals on his itinerary, such as a group of hippies, a farm owner (Vince Vaughn), and a lonely leather worker who offers to adopt and be a grandfather to Christopher (Hal Holbrook), as he purposefully trudges onward to his final destination, arriving in the wilds of Alaska nearly two years after his initial departure. He starts living in a "Magic Bus" serving as a shelter for people walking in the area (though in the film there is nobody else). Resourceful, McCandless finds joy in living off the land, and begins to write a book of his adventures. Unfortunately, as the spring thaw arrives, he is cut off from civilization by waterways. As his food supply lessens, he resorts to eating plants. Although he consults a brought-along book about the edibility of plants, he confuses an edible and a poisonous kind, which shuts down his digestive system forcing him to starve to death. As he dies, he continues to write, detailing his painful demise as a dramatic denouement to his autobiography.

Sounds like a brilliant film, Phil - I'll look out for it

Thanks for the review

I liked it anyway. Might be a bit 'slow' for some but if you like the great outdoors and Eddie Vedder's vocals then you can't go wrong.

Just bought it for £5.98 on Amazon - thanks for this review Phil - I'll enjoy it, I'm sure

Another Eddie Vedder fan here - I`ll have to get the film now.