Wild, 2014.
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée.
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski and Keene McRae.
SYNOPSIS:
Based on the memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.” We follow Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) on her 1,100-mile solo hike in order to recover from life as well as to discover a new one.
You know those times you’ve thought to yourself “I’m so glad no one else can hear my thoughts, they’d think I’m insane.” One of the greatest strengths of Wild is exactly that. Here, we’re inside the mind of Cheryl Strayed as she walks the 1,100 miles to salvation, along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). We see Cheryl’s most difficult and treasured memories as she lies in her tent at night. Sing along with the songs playing in her head as she passes through the desert sun and snowy mountains and revel in the small victories Cheryl occasionally gets.
For this movie to work the audience had to be placed into her too small, causing her to rip off a toenail boots. You had to feel like you’re absorbing the heat, climbing the rocks and having those second thoughts of taking on such a task at the same point Reese Witherspoon does on screen. You can tick that box, I felt the emotional weight of each step as Witherspoon and Strayed felt it psychically, thanks to the aptly named “The Monster” backpack.
The only thing heavier than “The Monster” is the problems that brought her to the PCT. After the premature death of her Mother, (Laura Dern) Cheryl spirals into a life of drugs and sleeping with many men who aren’t her husband, Paul (Thomas Sadoski). After hitting rock bottom with heroin and finalizing her divorce with a set of his/hers tattoo’s she sets off from the Mojave Desert to the Oregon-Washington border.
We all try and block or bury memories that sting if uncovered, however, being alone makes this impossible for Cheryl and soon enough they come through so vivid it brings her to her knees. As cliché as this line will sound, the breaking down only allows Witherspoon’s character to rebuild and move forward.
Battling against the forces of nature, Strayed also has strange encounters with the predominantly male hikers also walking the trail. Some completely harmless and others who seem to be preparing for a thriller movie audition. The latter not really working for me, although I don’t doubt for a second it was a real threat for a woman travelling alone in the wilderness.
You find few missteps in Vallée’s follow up to Dallas Buyers Club, the other being the neatly tied together segments towards the movie’s conclusion that set up another flashback. It is seamlessly done and effective to begin with, although it grows thin simply due to how often it’s used. I was happy watching her hum Simon & Garfunkel’s “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)” through Mother Nature. Yes, be prepared to be humming along after you exit the theatre.
It is no surprise the movie is gaining awards buzz due to the performances of Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Both take a grass roots (pun intended) approach to portraying their respective characters and Laura Dern manages to bring such a warm and rich quality to Bobbi. Witherspoon brings such truth and refuses to apologize for any of Cheryl’s behaviour and rightly so, complex and brave, we have a performance that could very well gain her a second Academy Award.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Gary McCurry – Follow me on Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84411374&x-yt-ts=1421828030&v=qqtW2LRPtQY&feature=player_embedded&list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E
Originally published January 22, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
