the movieGOOMBA

3 GOOMBAS

I'm an indoor kind of girl. I grew up in a suburb of LA where the idea of nature was going to the neighborhood park and feeding the ducks in the man-made lake. The great outdoors? That was venturing out to my backyard, where the bugs lived. I've only been camping once, and it had bathrooms and actual showers. Remember Troop Beverly Hills? I would have fit right in, so the notion of burning my money and seeking a vagabond, hippie, sleeping outdoors kind of lifestyle just isn't quite appealing to me. But apparently to Christopher McCandless, this is nothing short of ideal.

A film adaption of the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, which is based on the real life adventures of Christopher McCandless (AKA Alexander Supertramp), Into the Wild is a story about a lifestyle so simple and carefree, something seems wrong with it. Following his college graduation, McCandless donates 90% of his lifesavings and leaves town to become a wandering road tramp and to eventually make it to Alaska. From his travels, he meets a series of charaacters who shape his perspective and affirm his deliberate choice in the vagrant life.

Hopefully, before you continue reading this, you already happen to know the ending. It's not really a surprise. The film even takes the audience's premium knowledge on the ending into account, but I'll try my best to not be too obvious.

Alex Supertramp (Chris's alias) is the anti-consumer. He takes what needs, eats off the land, and lives for life experience. He's an economist's worse nightmare. He's free from red tape, societal responsibility, and instead of career worries, financial burdens, or relationship issues, his problems are about survival. Alex Supertramp wants a meaningful life, and the film depicts him as a charismatic and inspiring person. Yet I felt like he got punished for his drastic and radical choices. I'm not sure if this was the filmmaker's intent, but that was my interpretation.

Emile Hirsch was amazing as usual and Sean Penn did a superb job directing. Yet as much as I rooted for Alex and the message he lived, I couldn't help but say, "What the hell was he thinking?!?" Man has evolved to live as a society for a reason, and though some may have lost sight of the simple pleasures in life, a person has the ability to make choices. Making the decision to maintain a balance of both material and immaterial seems like the best option, given the movie. It's never a good thing to be a diva or a caveman.