Wild is a biographical movie adventure that premiered at the “Telluride Film Festival” in 2014. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, it stars Reese Whitherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann, and Thomas Sadoski. Once a woman loses a relative, she searches for therapy in the wild.
Cheryl Strayed (played by Whitherspoon) has just lost the most important person in her life, her mother, Bobbi Grey (Dern). At just 22 years of age, she had so much to learn from her role model.
Truth is grievances can make a person derail paths. And that is exactly what happened to her. Despite being married to her husband Jonathan (Sadoski), she finds something to cope with the pain: heroin and casual sex.
Unfortunately, she acts no different to Aimee (Hoffmann), her friend, who barely recognizes her anymore. But Cheryl can’t care less and continues her wild way of living.
Ultimately, this dissolves her marriage. Now, she has hit rock bottom. Whereas many tend to resort to counseling, she chooses a bold goal: to hike the “Pacific Crest Trail” (PCT).
The PCT is a hiking trail starting at the Mexican border (Campo). It expands through California, Oregon, and Washington, reaching its end at Manning Park near the Canadian border. Not an easy task if you ask me. Therefore, she buys all the equipment necessary to endure the Trail which includes:
- Backpack
- Tent & clothing
- Food & beverages
- Books & notebooks
Straight from the get-go, she realizes it will be burdensome. Moreover, she doesn’t have the experience or is trained for such a hazardous task. Just setting up the tent is a struggle. But she isn’t willing to quit.
During the hike, she learns that strangers are her best ally. That is, to receive a helping hand with essentials such as a warm place to crash in and eat warm food, before moving on to the next day.
Throughout the journey, she has joyful memories of her childhood but also hurtful recollections. A fine line to uplift or break her while searching for the meaning of life. But with a length of 2,650 miles, will she cross the finish line?
“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every day, and you can choose to be there for it.”
– Bobbi Grey, Wild (2014)
“Wild” is based on the real-life experience of Cheryl Strayed, who hiked the PCT (1995). In addition, she released a memoir called “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” (2012).
Whitherspoon and Dern were nominated for “Best Actress” and “Best Supporting Actress” at 2015’s Academy Awards, respectively.
Watch the trailer in the link below.
