Wild is what you
might call an actress’s showcase. It
largely consists of scenes where a solitary performer, Reese
Witherspoon, gets an opportunity to demonstrate her abilities without other
actors taking up the spotlight, either because the other characters are
transient and limited in their roles , or because Witherspoon is literally
alone for large segments of the film.
And while often times this sort of film can backfire because it feeds
too heavily into showing just how emotive a performer can be, Wild strikes an incredible balance
between emotional moments and subtlety that makes this film more than just a
stroking of Witherspoon’s ego, and elevates it into a heart-rending tale of
redemption.
Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed, a woman who has little to
no experience hiking who decides to make a treacherous, 1100 mile trek along
the Pacific Crest Trail. Her reasons for
doing so are initially unclear, but as her trip progresses and she dwells more
and more on her past, pieces begin to fall into place. Hers is a journey of self-discovery and
emotional healing, as the tragedies of her life come into focus, as well as the
self-destructive behavior that led her to this seemingly insane ritual. Director Jean-Marc Vallėe does a masterful
job of providing a scattershot yet coherent inner monologue for Cheryl that not
only connects the expository flashbacks to the events happening at present, but
makes the many shots of Cheryl simply walking feel diverse and entertaining.
However, to give credit entirely to the direction would be a
huge disservice to Reese Witherspoon, who absolutely nails a nuanced
performance with often very little to react to.
There are many scenes that could have been played with cartoonish exaggeration
to emphasize her emotional turmoil, but Witherspoon opts to play the role as
quietly determined, only letting the emotive outbursts take over when the
moment actually calls for it. Even her
flashback scenes are great examples of her ability; despite being almost forty,
she quite convincingly pulls off looking and acting like a teenager in some
pivotal expository scenes, demonstrating a range that many performers would
envy.
If there is one fault that I must emphasize, though, it is
the blatant slut-shaming that is integrated into Cheryl’s self-abusive
backstory. Part of the reason Cheryl
goes on her epic hike is because she is attempting to come with terms with her
drug abuse and promiscuity. The film
treats the large quantity of sex Cheryl has with the same sort of ire as the
drug use, treating both as addictions of equal measure. It is disconcerting to think that if the lead
role in this film were male, the sexual component would likely not have been
emphasized as much, or even glorified by comparison. Perhaps this isn’t so much a fault in the
film as in societal perceptions that feminine sexuality is somehow
self-destructive, but it is disappointing to see such a well-realized narrative
marred by that particular detail.
That fault should not prevent you from appreciating a well-made
film, though. I won’t go so far as to
say the film is profound or particularly intellectually deep, but it runs off
emotion and a damn good performance well enough to merit a very high
recommendation. Wild is just now hitting a wider release, so if you want to see
this gem in theaters, now is the time.
It’ll be worth your while.
"Perhaps this isn’t so much a fault in the film as in societal perceptions that feminine sexuality is somehow self-destructive." So, cheating on your spouse and breaking up your marriage isn't self-destructive? Look, if you're single and you want to have sex with 4 people a day, fine, but when you're married sexual promiscuity SHOULD definitely be considered disgusting and shameful (unless it's consented by the spouse). Male or female doesn't matter here, she was a terrible person for doing that to her husband who obviously loved her. I'd feel the exact same if it were a male who had done this to her wife. I'm sad that such crappy person has gone on to make money of a long walk...
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