This past Friday I had the unexpected pleasure of attending a free screening of Sean Penn's new film "Into the Wild". The film's star, Emile Hirsch, was in attendance and participated in a Q&A after the film. I wish I had taken notes on the Q&A, but alas, I was unprepared.

The film itself was really quite moving. Emile's performance was by far the best of his career so far. I never once stopped believing him as Christopher McCandless, who abandons his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. This true story is at times uplifting, exhilarating and beautiful while also shows heartache and regret, mainly through Christopher's family, but at times through Chris himself. Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook are just two of the actors who provided amazing performances as the characters Christopher meets on his journey.

Sean Penn's direction and the cinematography almost steal the show from Emile. Maybe I will call it a tie. There are moments where you feel like you are watching a nature documentary, but the shots are so beautiful and honest that you are enthralled at the world around us. Penn really captured the beauty of nature and helped the audience understand why someone would want to do what Chris did. However, as beautiful as nature can be, it can also be very dangerous. Chris's story, while tragic at its conclusion, is still uplifting and eye-opening. I had not read the book by Jon Krakauer that the film was based on before seeing the film, but plan to now.

During the Q&A Emile spoke of the intensity of Penn's direction as one of the most amazing experiences he has ever, and will ever, have.

"On the first day on the set in Alaska, Sean and I were riding on a snowmobile to the set and we wiped out in front of the crew," Hirsch recalled with a laugh. "And they're like, 'This is the first day?' When I wiped out, Sean was like, 'That was good, that was good, the way you wiped out." Emile laughed and knew that he was in for quite a ride!

Here is the trailer for the film:

This film is a must see!