Wild

The last two movies I covered were the final installments to two dissimilar trilogies. The film I'm now reviewing, Wild, is a self-contained piece.

In June 1995, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) was at the lowest point in her life. Her mother Bobbi (Laura Dern) died of lung cancer four years earlier. She sought the company of every man she met except her husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski). Now they're divorced. She decides to get over her misery by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

It took her three months to hike 1,100 miles. Her most trustworthy companion was her enormous backpack. A collection of kindly strangers helped her along the way. Natural and emotional challenges threatened to stop her trek. But she didn't quit. Her story became a best-selling memoir, which director Jean-Marc Vallée and screenwriter Nick Hornby now present on-screen.

Witherspoon carries the movie a lot easier than that backpack. Her sarcasm provides the film's best laughs (even the title cards get sarcastic at on point!). On a more serious note, we see her as an emotionally damaged woman. She knows she's messed up and wants to redeem herself. That's what keeps the audience invested in her long trek.

Speaking of damage, the makeup department provides many gruesome physical ailments. Its most shocking display is Cheryl's bloody foot in the first scene. Of that I'll describe no more.

Cheryl's trek took her across snowy fields, forests and the open desert. In each environment, cinematographer Yves Bélanger's presentation of the PCT is pretty. They look like nice places to visit if you can get around the wildlife. But don't go unprepared or under-prepared if this movie inspires you.

Wild is a good cinematic hike. Its lead character and involving storyline make it a film to watch out for in the coming months.