Best of Cinema: Into The Wild

After graduating from college, young Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) radically breaks away from his affluent but loveless life. With no money, he travels across the U.S. toward Alaska, meets other dropouts (including Kristen Stewart and Catherine Keener), forms friendships, and finds the human connection he’s long missed. But in his quest for freedom, no one can hold him back...

Emile Hirsch plays Christopher McCandless, who actually traveled through the American heartland and Alaska in the 1990s. A few years later, mountaineer Jon Krakauer published his moving story as a biography. Director Sean Penn stayed close to the life of McCandless as outlined by Krakauer in his adaptation, crafting a moving drama about a dropout’s search for meaning and freedom. The film is accompanied by music from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. Hal Holbrook, who was 82 at the time, received his first Oscar nomination for this role.