Genre: Biography/Drama
Estimated Budget: Unknown
Estimated Gross (Worldwide 30th Jan): $40,037,009
Awards (Pending): Oscar Nominations: Best Actress- Reese Witherspoon, Best Supporting Actress-Laura Dern
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Writers: Nick Hornby (Screenplay) Cheryl Strayed (Memoir)
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann
My Rating: 7/10
I watched Wild the other day as part of my Oscar nominated films must sees, I was pleasantly surprised to see a return to form for Reese Witherspoon. She not only stars in the film but also produced it through her production company Pacific Standard after buying the rights to Cheryl Strayed's memoir "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail". In three words; she's bloody good.
Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed the author of the gripping memoir. After losing her beloved mother Bobbie suddenly in 1991 aged only 45, the intelligent 23 year old student finds herself on a path of self-destruction through numerous marital affairs and drug abuse to hide from the agonizing grief constantly tormenting her. In 1995 after the collapse of her marriage she decided enough was enough, she needed to change her lifestyle or there would be no life to live. She needed to get away, clear her head and find herself. She decided to hike the 1100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to the Oregon-Washington border. Along the way she struggles with rough terrain, the weather, her total lack of experience with hiking or camping but mostly with memories of her past that continue to haunt her throughout her solitary journey. It is painful to watch some scenes in which the novice Strayed is so out of her league in this forbidding wilderness. Desperately unprepared and untrained for such an undertaking, for example wearing the wrong boots and bringing the wrong gas leaving her gas cooker useless.
However with each passing minute as we watch her carry on in vain, despite greatly wanting to quit at every moment, we see her become more accustomed to the adversities of the path. We join her in every look of triumph as she manages something she couldn't have imagined just months before, we want her to succeed on this path. In spite of the questionable life she lead previous to this quest for self enlightenment we can relate to her character very strongly. Every one of us knows the feeling of loss in one form or another and have all experienced that feeling of needing to get away and be alone, to have a chance to clear our minds of all the troubling thoughts and stresses that accumulate. Wild is an inspiring film to watch, how many of us would actually decide to go through with our impulse of getting away for a while, not many I'm sure. In a way Cheryl is accomplishing something many of us wish we had the strength to do.
Reese Witherspoon lets not forget is a Leading Actress Oscar winner for Walk the Line (2005) and has been in a series of successful films over her 24 year career; Election (1999), Legally Blonde (2001) and Just Like Heaven (2005) being some of her best loved. However the majority of her films have been romantic comedies, with the odd surprising turn thrown in along the way. It has only been in the last 2 years that she has taken a McConaughey style career resurgence with more serious roles in Mud (2012), Devil's Knot (2013) and now Wild. And this is her film, it is her lone figure throughout most of the film. Her portrayal of Cheryl's struggle is notably award worthy; she has been nominated for Best Actress for every major award in the highly publicised awards season. It is a year full of magnetic performances from women, however the clear winner from the beginning and who has won every award so far is Julianne Moore for Still Alice (2015). It is a shame that Witherspoon had such a small chance of being honoured for her great performance but I feel that it is enough to know that she is back on track and hopefully will continue producing work that is up to the high standard she can so obviously aspire to.
Undoubtedly the strongest and most lasting scenes in Wild are those in which Cheryl remembers her mother, this is done in a series of flashbacks throughout the film. As Cheryl journeys we start to piece together her relationship with her mother and what it has come to mean to her since her death. She most obviously adored her mother, which she actually states at one point. She carries a constant grief around with her that at times overwhelms her. But it is clear as she gets closer to finishing her hike, that through reminiscing she better understands her mother and is finally able to deal with her loss.
Laura Dern portrays Bobbie in the film, great credit must go to her for creating this woman, we immediately understand why Wintherspoon's Cheryl could have fallen into such despair after her passing. She has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. Her performance is very naturalistic, she could be any mother, she wants what is best for her family and will do what she can in her small way to achieve it. Whilst doing this she is also trying to better herself, and when she finds out she is sick, she questions how fast time slips by and how much she still had to accomplish. This feeling of resenting the passage of time mirrors another Oscar nominated performance this year; Patricia Arquette's single mother in Boyhood (2014). Dern's single mother who fled a violent husband is a constant enigma to her daughter who cannot understand how her mother remains so happy despite the life she has lived and is struggling to maintain. It is only through her seemingly endless journey across the desert and through her memories that she realises how strong her mother was for her children.
Director Jean-Marc Vallee is on a winning streak, after 2014's triumphant success with independent film Dallas Buyers Club, picking up nominations and wins from every major awards ceremony and finally leading Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto to Academy Awards glory for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Here he follows the same pattern, a small personal film which he has successfully transformed into a gripping story, which is being deservedly noticed by the Academy. What stuck with me while watching the film was the effective use of editing; the cuts from present day to memory and sometimes hallucination are so embedded in the story that they become natural, when the movie begins it is hard to get your head around where (or rather when) you are, is it the present Cheryl or the past, as the film goes on you become accustomed to the rhythm. Another great effect is the use of Simon & Garfunkel's song El Condor Pasa, which is clearly visible throughout the film. It is a song that Bobbie hummed constantly to the annoyance of her daughter but which is a vivid memory that Cheryl carries with her when her mother is gone, and hums to herself throughout her journey. It signifies a link between mother and daughter, and the deep bond that they shared.
At its heart this film is about forgiveness and enlightenment; finding your true self and becoming who you want to be. It took Cheryl Strayed a 1100 mile hike to become the woman her mother would have wanted her to be, and we are with her every step of that journey through rain or shine and joys and pain. It deeply explores the acceptance of loss and dealing with grief and I think successfully portrays one woman's determination to change her life. It is well worth a watch.
