Movie Review

“Happiness Only Real When Shared”

Sadia Afrin Arin

MANY of us, at some point in our lives, may think of moving away from the rigorous demands of society. Sometime ago, I too, felt desperate to escape from society and the people around me. Maybe that is why I was asked to watch the movie “Into The Wild”

The movie “Into the Wild”, directed by Sean Penn, is based on the true story of Christopher Johnson McCandless. The movie begins with the unhappy family of Chris. Chris has come back home after graduating from Emory University. He denies his father's gift, a car, as he has no attraction for anything materialistic. What he seeks for is the 'truth'. He destroys all his credit cards and gives his savings of $24,000 to a charity and then starts his journey to the ultimate destination--Alaska. Chris travels two years around the American Southwest before reaching Alaska. In this time of two years he meets all kinds of people--a hippie couple, a farm owner (Vince Vaughn) and a lonely old man, Ron (Hal Holbrook) who wants to adopt Chris as his grandson. He also meets a girl named Joni (Kristen Stewart) with whom he develops a strong friendship and they begin to like each other. At one point, Chris says to her “If you want something in life, reach out and grab it”. I loved what he said as all of us dream of so many things in life but very few of us stick through the journey of achieving it.

His dream comes true as he reaches Alaska. He finds an abandoned bus, the 'Magic Bus' and turns it into his home. He tries hunting animals for food. One day while reading a book called “Family Happiness”, te idea of real happiness strikes him. He decides to go find Joni but fails to make a connection. He writes in his journal that he is “lonely and scared”. Things take a wrong turn when Chris mistakenly eats a deadly wild plant. He becomes “literally trapped in the wild”. Yet he does not misuse those difficult moments. He writes his feelings in a book as the realisation that “happiness is only real when shared” dawns upon him. This is exactly the message that is put forward. Viewers will agree that the true value of happiness is only felt when there is someone to share it with. The movie will most definitely find a special place in everyone's heart.