Into the Wild (2007)

Into the Wild is a deeply introspective film that is based on the life of Christopher McCandless. McCandless is the son of wealthy parents, and appears headed towards Harvard law school, when suddenly he decides to forsake everythin, and search for a deeper meaning and spirituality. He donates his life savings (about $20,000) to charity, burns his Social Security card and what little cash he has left, and wanders the country. Along his journey he meets a variety of people, shares tender moments with them all, but eventually leaves them all behind. Eventually he decides to go to Alaska, far away from anything to do with modern society.

The plot may seem a little bare - but the reality is, the film was very moving for me. McCandless seems to exude authenticity, sadly a rare attribute in today's world, and something I have always striven to have myself. The story of his rejection of society as a fake and invented system is something that is not new for the thousands of drifters in the world, but is a breath of fresh air, and gives a new perspective on life and love and the things that really have meaning to all of us. Well, there I go, blithering about the story - you can tell I loved it. The story is all the more poignant since it is a true story - the film is based on the book about McCandless. For those who haven't heard about McCandless before, I won't ruin the ending.

The acting was great, the music was great, the story was great, and the scenery was incredible -- definitely one of the best movies of 2007, and I highly recommend this to anyone.

Here is the trailer from youtube: