Over the weekend I decided to watch the 2014
film Wild starring Reese Witherspoon and directed by Jean- Marc Vallee. The
film Wild illustrates Cheryl Strayed's journey to spiritual fulfillment and a
better self. Cheryl Strayed decided to take an untraditional route to recovery
by hiking the 1,000 miles Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) alone. The trail runs
through California, Oregon, and Washington almost touching the Canadian border
(according to the film). In awe, the hike is extremely difficult and dangerous
due to the fluctuating altitudes, weather, and exposure to wildlife and overall
isolation. Strayed's memoir was almost entirely made to be a great film, and a
great film is exactly what it was!
Reese Witherspoon's performance had an exceptional performance as Strayed. She presented
the torments and overall emotional damage and perseverance Strayed
carried throughout her hike. I appreciated that
Valle incorporated the aspect of femininity in the film. Noting that
the PCT predominately was male dominated and the fact that Strayed not
only hiked it alone but completed it was phenomenal and definitely worth
mentioning. In the film Witherspoon starts off with an enormous back pack
filled with a lot of things that she expects she’ll need but really doesn’t.
That moment, although a bit comical, is actually a sign showing that Strayed
was prepared to hike the PCT. Gradually over time she begins to learn how to
keep herself going, and along the way make the back pack lighter by getting rid
of the unnecessary stuff.
The back pack is very
much a symbol of the spiritual and mental weight that Strayed carried around
from so many years after the death of her mother, her ill childhood, heroine
addiction, and over all damaging path as an adult. As she hikes
through the PCT she mentally is dealing with all her demons and overcoming them
in an edgy way. That is represented by her slowly lightening the weight of her backpack
throughout the hike.
I want to compliment
the way the director Vallee decided to go about representing Strayed’s demons.
He replicated the how when someone is alone they are often times flooded with
unwanted thoughts—like when we lay down to sleep after a long day we often
think about the bad points or something that bothered us days ago. Vallee
represents this by using flashbacks in the film, almost as if every time
Strayed overcomes or approaches a new demon she has a flashback on a
particular incident. At times it was her mothers death from cancer, or her
mothers joyful, uplifting attitude while singing in the kitchen. Other times it
was her husband’s disappointment in her addiction and inability to commit to
solely him. I must say that there are a lot of strong images of addiction and
promiscuity in the film but that is what makes it raw and uncut—relatable to
the audience.
I was often times very
emotional throughout the film, and completely consumed by it. The film Wild
runs a bit under 2 hours total but is definitely a great watch. I recommend it
to you all.
Here's the Trailer:
