Wild
2014
***
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Keene McRae, Michiel Huisman, W. Earl Brown, Jan Hoag, Gaby Hoffmann, Kevin Rankin
Following the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed's life and marriage fell apart. In 1995, without any prior experience, she embarked on a gruelling 1,100 mile solo hike from the Mojave Desert to the Oregon–Washington state border along the Pacific Crest Trail. This autobiographical drama is based on Strayed's book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which Nick Hornby adapted to the screen. On a conceptual level, the film delivers a fascinating journey into self-discovery. In practice, however, it depicts a long and slightly underwhelming walk, which occasionally moves as slow as the protagonist. The story sadly cannot offer the dramatic impact and spiritual weight of Into the Wild. Reese Witherspoon gives a brilliant performance, though.
