Last night I watched the film Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn. Having read the book by Jon Krakauer, I thought it was a great adaptation of the book. Both the book and the film tell the true story of an unconventional young man named Chris McCandless.I was going to try and write a plot summary for you, but decided that the summary from IMDB had already hit the nail on the head, so to speak: "After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life."
Anyway, the film (like the book) got me thinking about how we are all completely tied down by our careers and our homes and our things and the people around us. That sounds very pessimistic, but that was the very thing that Chris was trying to shake off. By living an aesthetic life on the road he was attempting to escape all these societal conventions that hold the rest of us down and prevent us from living life to the fullest.
For example, when I first moved away from home, all of my possessions fit into a suitcase. At the end of my freshman year, they fit in the back of an Explorer (with my bike hooked to the back). Each year since then I've progressively accumulated more things until the last time Gene and I moved it took a 17' van plus our cars to move it all. You don't realize how much these 'things' tie you down until you think about life without them.
Of course, I have an amazing husband and wonderful pets (my furry children) that I wouldn't leave for anything. But for just a moment I like to imagine the freedom it would bring to be footloose and carefree (and to simultaneously have the ability not to worry about money, where I was going to sleep next, etc.). This film (doesn't film sound so much more sophisticated than 'movie'?) also made me think that there is nothing more melancholy in this world than an old man's eyes brimming with tears (83-year-old Hal Holbrook gave an Oscar-nominated performance).
Anyway, just some food for thought. And if you have Netflix or whatever, I definitely recommend you take a look at this film.
1 comment:
The movie sounds interesting. I must see it. BTW, what you're saying is very true. I came to San Diego with a backpack and a suitcase. A big pickup and my car wasn't good enough to move only my stuff from tierrasanta to valencia on last summer. (Rachel's stuff filled another pickup and my car when it's arrived at the port Los Angeles from Germany) I really want to throw them away and leave somewhere for a while.
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