Wild: Review + Response

This week I went to see Wild. This film has garnered Academy Award nominations for Reese Witherspoon in the Best Actress category and one for Laura Dern in the Best Actress in a Supporting role category. This film made me want to quit my job and go on a three month hike. Yes, really.

So what is it about?
After her marriage dissolves due to her infidelity and heroine addiction, Cheryl needs to change. She has been running from her grief for a long time: she accepts how deeply the death of her mother has impacted her. Her mother had been her best friend and, since her death, Cheryl feels she has lost herself. She decides to walk herself back to the woman her mother raised her to be. She walks to shake off her grief and the weight of her mistakes in order to find redemption. With no experience and limited funds she sets out on a hike that takes her three months to complete. Travelling alone, against the odds and tackling the weather and the wilderness, Cheryl is pushed to her limits and is forced to learn the true meaning of endurance. This is not your classic 'road trip' story: it's more about overcoming hardship whilst being set against the great American wilderness.

The film is tense. There are scenes that really address the  worries of being a lone female traveller in some very tense scenes. Witherspoon masterfully displays the joys and the horrors of such a journey. This could be a really good stepping stone in Reese Witherspoon's career. This film is a poignant masterpiece. I think it's a testament to the strength of the film if you go out and immediately buy the book...