Wild

****
UK Release Date: January 16th 2015

A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria, Dallas Buyers Club)

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski

Reese Witherspoon is captivating and truly magnetic in this wonderfully abstract tale of redemption and determination. Without her powerful presence, Wild would cripple under a fair to middling narrative. Embarking on an epic hike along the Pacific Crest Trail is no mean feat. It does, however, have an end to it, much to Cheryl's (Witherspoon) discretion, who has to face reality at some point. She embarks on a form of escapism, leaving the world and its problems behind. All her woes and troubles are gone but not forgotten, as we're opened up to her life through a series of flashbacks. Strayed's story (a made up name she gave herself) keeps us fixated at all times, whether its through her past (drug addiction, adultery, or her relationship with her mother) or present day, where she meets new people, good and bad, ends up stranded with nothing to eat or ultimately buckles under the weight and pressure of her journey.  Wild is an endearing test of human strength.

4/5