Tonight’s movie at the Arthouse Film Festival was Wild, the story of a woman who goes on walkabout along the Pacific Crest Trail, after enduring some personal loss. She underestimates the trip, but learns to adjust. This movie is the adaptation of the best-selling book. Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed, who wrote the book about her real-life adventures. As she walks the trail, there are frequent flashbacks to what got her there, and it’s all pretty engaging. At the forefront of those is Laura Dern, who plays Reese’s mother. She was really good in her role. Along the way, music is half-remembered, and there’s a lot of it, but it never overpowers the story.
I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. I was expecting the bubbly Reese, but there’s no trace of it here. She’s a far better actress that I’ve given her credit for in the past. This movie was shot on location, perhaps 90% that way, and the scenery is incredible. The personal interplay is interesting and engaging.
At the screening, Urs Hirschbiegel, the associate director, was present to tell us tales of things behind the scenes. He said that the story was shot in linear order, which isn’t usually done,, mainly to give the actors the flow to evolve with their characters as the story progresses. He’s worked with the director, Jean-Marc Vallée, on several movies, including Dallas Buyer’s Club. The two are currently shooting their next movie, Demolition, in NYC.
Wild opens generally on December 5th.