I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail a while ago, so I was interested to view the film adaptation of the Cheryl Strayed book Wild to see how a long-distance hike was handled as a Hollywood movie. But Wild, the movie isn’t a hiking film; it’s more about a woman’s relationship with herself rather than her relationship with nature. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallèe, Wild follows Cheryl Strayed (played by Reese Witherspoon) on a 1,100 mile cathartic walk along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Wild Movie

After the death of her mother, a divorce, and a downward spiral, on a whim Strayed embarks on a hike of the PCT. Vallèe depicts the experience of a long distance hiker well in the film: from the small night noises, to the blisters, trail angels, memories, songs, and those millions of reasons to quit. The film splits from the trail at times to show flashbacks of Strayed’s former life, and it’s from those memories we learn why she has taken on this journey. Most of the flashbacks are recollections of her mother (superbly played by Laura Dern) who had a positive outlook on life – and it’s the memories and spirit of her mother’s optimism that finally helps pull Strayed out of her own abyss.

Director Vallèe has a theme of unlikely heroes in many of his films. In the Dallas Buyer’s Club, it’s Matthew McConaughey as a cowboy dying of AIDS, but finding a way for thousands to survive with the disease. In Young Queen Victoria, the unlikely heroine is the queen standing on her own against the entrenched powers of England and reigning longer than any monarch in British history. The film C.R.A.Z.Y stars the unlikely hero of a young man struggling in 1970s Montreal. So the director is in familiar territory with “Wild” and the challenges of a young woman with a dark past struggling against nature to reclaim herself.

Witherspoon is at her best in the film, losing the gloss we associate with her from earlier movies and opting for a more stripped-down acting role. During a long-distance hike there are reasons all day every day to quit, and fewer reasons to keep going. This in particular is demonstrated well. From the opening scene of pulling off a toenail to the body welts created by her massive pack, she’s in new territory with her acting. As she meets men along the trail, there sometimes come fears both genuine and imagined. This is a transformative role from a dark self to a better self along the trail, and as a long distance hiker I believed Witherspoon’s performance as a Pacific Crest Trail backpacker.

Wild was mostly filmed in my home state of Oregon, so I was happy to see so many familiar sites of the region. Cinematographer Yves Bèlanger helps bring the vastness of the trail’s landscape and the scenery of Oregon alive. I also know two of the hikers portrayed in the film, so that was of particular interest to me. The screenplay by Nick Hornby flowed much better than the book, as did the film. A couple of notable cameos in the movie: author Cheryl Strayed makes a brief appearance as a “trail angel” in an early scene, and rocker Art Alexakis (of Everclear fame) has an amusing part as a tattoo artist.

Concluding Thoughts

Whether you’re a hiker or not, Wild is entertaining and well-acted throughout. Backpacking films are few and far between, and they’re usually about growth and revelation along the trail and not about backpacking – The Way starring Martin Sheen comes to mind. Wild covers similar terrain, and does so in spectacular fashion. You can watch Wild here at Amazon.com and you can find the book here.

Editor's Note: This film review originally appeared in Issue 20 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.