Produced by and starring Reese Witherspoon, directed by Jean Marc Vallee
Reese Witherspoon certainly went on a wild ride in the just-released film Wild. Unprepared, naïve, yet determined to walk away her personal issues, her character undertakes a 1,100-mile hike up the Pacific Crest Trail. The story is based on the best-selling memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, frankly penned by Cheryl Strayed (an assumed name, the origin of which is explained in the movie). It is an intimate portrayal of the indomitable spirit of a broken young woman determined to survive, despite real world and backpacking obstacles.
Deftly directed by Jean Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club) and smartly adapted by Nick Hornby (About a Boy), the film is a thoroughly engaging, credible, relatable, and an uncompromisingly raw portrayal of Cheryl’s 1,100 mile journey in 1995 from the Mojave desert, through Oregon, to the Washington state line.
I found Cheryl’s writing voice (and Reese’s voiceovers) realistic, modern, and refreshingly coarse. This story is an unflinching portrayal of a girl undertaking a guy’s adventure: see her swear, have random sex, and fend for herself alone in the wilderness. The additional threat from the men that Cheryl encounters looms harrowingly ever-present, enhancing her toughness cred.
Although petite Reese is practically half the size of the author, she sports a replica of the oversized backpack that the inexperienced and naïve Cheryl had taken on her trek – visually magnifying the enormity of her undertaking. The character’s misadventures are at times comical and at other times suspenseful. To wit, the film opens with a view of one of Cheryl’s hiking boots accidentally slipping down a mountainside 38 days into the trek. In response, Cheryl howls and hoists the other shoe to the same fate, leaving her with no shoes and 62 days to go.
The film effectively intersperses Cheryl’s recent-past emotional baggage with her current travails. You understand why she determinedly pushes forward, and you believe that she cannot turn back, despite all difficulties, dangers, and setbacks. You viscerally feel how the experience of isolation on the trail leads Cheryl to reflect on the recent passing of her beloved mother, Cheryl’s philandering during her marriage, and her lapses into drug and sex addiction. You feel the mutual love of Cheryl for her mother (well-played by Laura Dern), who died of cancer when Cheryl was only 22 while they are both adorably attending college together.
The film opens in theaters today, and expect Marc Jean Vallee, Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern to garner to industry nominations for their work during the upcoming awards season.
Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!