Into the Wild

Director Sean Penn tells the true story of Christopher McCandless' (Hirsch) heady journey from 22-year-old middle class college grad to a state of romanticized independence in wild and free Alaska, where McCandless finds the wilderness as brutally indifferent to his high-minded ideals as it is stunningly beautiful. Adapted from Jon Krakauer's book of the same name, the film follows McCandless from Virginia through the American West, where he dons the moniker "Alexander Supertramp." Scenes cut between his journey, his last weeks in the wild, and his personal journal entries to effectively paint a picture of McCandless' thoughts and motivations as he tries to drop off the grid. Quintessential American film for adventurers and non-adventurers alike.