Wild is a story of adventure, loss and love directed by Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club). Starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, both of whom were nominated for Oscars for their roles – this film explores how travel, and stepping outside of your comfort zone can be healing to the soul. Reese Witherspoon plays our protagonist Cheryl, a woman who sets off to hike the Pacific Coast Trail – a journey that takes months and stretches over 1,100 miles from start to finish. She chooses this adventure as a means to recover from a catastrophic period in her life where she fell into drugs and lost the love of her life.
While not as good from a storytelling standpoint as Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club, Wild does convey a sense of adventure to the viewer as we see Cheryl’s struggles with the behemoth hike she partakes in. The old cliche of the journey being more important than the end or start is one of the film’s main themes. It’s not about finishing or starting. For Cheryl, it’s about who she meets along the way. It’s about what she learns about herself as she suffers through pain and isolation in a way she never knew. Travelers understand this fully – even being at an incredible destination in a remote corner of the world, it’s often the people you meet there that create the memories you’ll never forget.
Wild is a simple film, full of symbols and metaphors that, at times, are very apparent. At the start of the trail, Cheryl was in the metaphorical valley of her life, but as the film progresses – she not only climbs metaphorical mountains but the physical ones. Even the massive, oversized backpack Cheryl struggled to carry at the beginning of the film is an almost too obvious symbol for the baggage she carries in her own life.
Vallée gets fantastic performances out of his two female stars. Both Reese and Laura Dern, who plays Cheryl’s mother, have great onscreen chemistry. Witherspoon doesn’t have a lot to work with but does great work connecting with the audience and conveying the deep seated emotional issues and inner turmoil her character is struggling with.
Wild is an imperfect film, yet one I recommend watching. Anyone who has ever traveled can identify and appreciate this film for what it is – a redemption story, re-coming of age for a woman who once again discovers what it means to live through an adventure that many wouldn’t even dream of attempting. Overall 7 stars out of 10. Wild is being released on disc today!
