As you can probably ascertain, I am playing a little bit of “catch up” on my film reviews from this weekend…not that there’s anything wrong with that (at least according to “Seinfeld“). Ok attempts at humor aside, I now bring you my review of the second indie film of the weekend, this one based on a true account of one woman’s journey to find herself and sort out life….I give you “Wild”.
SEE THE TRAILER HERE
Directed by “Dallas Buyer’s Club” helmer Jean-Marc Vallee and based on the memoir of the story’s focus Cheryl Strayed (here portrayed by Reese Witherspoon), the film immediately takes us into a moment of emotional and physical release during Ms. Strayed’s journey, which we can already believe has been arduous and challenging. The story is then told in a mix of present time and flashbacks as we see the multiple circumstances that cause Cheryl’s choice to take on the 1,000+ mile hike, alone, up the Pacific Coast Trail (in short, the “PCT”). Getting insight into Cheryl’s childhood, it is filled with a close relationship with her mother, Bobbi (Laura Dern), whose endured an abusive marriage for the sake of her children, and her brother Leif (Keene McRae). When life takes a cruel turn for their mother, Cheryl’s life takes on a self destructive direction in coping with the situation, sinking into a harried marriage, experimentation with drugs, and a damaging run of sexual freeness as everything spirals out of control. Coming out of it via the listening ear, encouragement, and frustration of a close friend Aimee (Gabby Hoffmann), Cheryl makes the decision to hike the PCT, defying the initial naysayers, including her ex-husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski). Thinking it a mistake only a few miles in, it becomes an immediate test of will and heart for Cheryl as she encounters the rigors of the wild, from carrying the backpack that will one time become known as “Monster”, to pitching a tent, to being forced to eat cold mush due to having brought the wrong cooking gas for the portable “stove”, as well as the physical and mental tolls the trek slowly begins to take. She checks in with Paul via phone at stops along the trail, only as she still considers him a friend, despite a still-brewing anger toward her for the ruin her life had become. But in the trials that she travels through, there is that sense of awakening, as she is given plenty of time to self-reflect, beat herself up for mistakes made and now regretting, while also finding an inner strength to fight through all the times quitting seems like the best option. Cheryl also meets others along the path, some become friends, others a potential threat. As it all comes together and the journey’s end is in sight, the lessons learned about herself and others come to the forefront as the realization about who she was vs. the person she’s become in choosing the trek, and a sense of accomplishment and newly discovered self-worth and simply LIFE is found. Further details enters Spoiler-ville, so per usual, not going to enter that place.
Being that this IS based on the true account of Cheryl Strayed’s life and walk on the PCT, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the sheer fortitude displayed by her in even taking this journey on. A daunting task to ANYONE, it was most certainly a hard way to bring oneself to a new sense of purpose and self-worth, to make that choice to leave the past behind and really push to become a new and REnewed version of yourself. Having never read the memoir, I am assuming however that the facets of Cheryl’s life we are privy to here is accurate, and it is a sobering reality to SEE someone’s life take the up and down ride that was portrayed, from having a loving mother in childhood to early adulthood and then having things ripped away so suddenly that it then causes a complete break from common sense and becomes that path of thinking that vices in any of their forms are the answer to cope with the pain until it finally comes about that just getting away and spending that time alone is the ACTUAL, necessary answer to it all. Having to FACE yourself and deal with that inner pain. Reese Witherspoon gives an absolutely amazing performance as Cheryl, giving her the rawness of emotion to engage you in her journey. She shows you the borderline depravity of a wounded soul looking for release in ANY form and the destruction it can cause physically and mentally when TRUE fulfillment is NOT discovered. Then that is followed by an absolute determination to take the PCT and to walk that distance to find herself no matter how often she wants to quit. Again, Witherspoon dominates the screen with a both subtle and bold approach to the role, which also aids in presenting the reality of the person she’s playing. Now, I have to say, viewers need to be aware there is a lot of language and fairly graphic sexual content in the film (I must say I saw a lot more of Reese than I was expecting) which, for me along with the language quotient, is a strike against my OVERALL and COMPLETE liking of the film. But, I will say without hesitation that this was one of the BEST acting roles I’ve ever seen Witherspoon in, and I have to give her complete kudos for that. In summary, “Wild” IS a very emotionally raw and intense film, most certainly an adult journey, but a story that ultimately shows that when a choice is made to IMPROVE one’s situation and the effort is made to do so, amazing things can happen and life CAN make a turn for the better and bring healing to a broken soul.
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
