Wild (2014, dir. Jean-Marc Vallee)

I was reminded of a couple other films while watching Jean-Marc Vallee's "Wild".  One was Sean Penn's 2007 film "Into the Wild".  Another was Agnes Varda's 1985 offering "Vagabond".  Unlike the latter film however, Cheryl, the central protagonist of "Wild" played by Reese Witherspoon is "not a hobo".  She makes this clear to a journalist who stops her along her voyage across the Pacific Coast Trail who has the intention of interviewing vagabonds for an expose.

Watching "Wild", like those other two films I mentioned, is a visceral, engaging experience.  It neatly delves into Cheryl's past with a series of flashbacks that are interspersed with her cross country journey.  In fact, the structure of the film is interesting and highly original.  There is cross-cutting to a variety of different moments in Cheryl's life:  her childhood, her adolescence, her recent past and the present.  It all has a cumulative effect, orientating the viewer to a place of understanding of how Cheryl got to where she is today.

The performances of this film are mesmerizing.  Reese Witherspoon is phenomenal.  This is probably her best performance.  She is able to give the viewer a clear understanding of just how difficult her physical, emotional and spiritual journey is and we feel the literal and figurative weight she must carry on her shoulders. Also strong is Laura Dern as Cheryl's mother whose descent into illness and death is painstakingly portrayed through the flashback vignettes that allude to the fleeting, ever-changing moments of memory of Cheryl as she hikes.

There are moments of sheer suspense and terror on the journey.  Cheryl meets potentially threatening individuals who may or may not have sinister motives.  She must be constantly on guard and defensive.

This is a film that packs an emotional wallop with brave performances.  It is told in a partially non-sequential method that will challenge you as a viewer and leave you riveted to the screen.