Wild

Success is indeed a journey and not a destination for Wild, an ambitious and powerful chronicle of self-discovery and redemption.

We’ve recently seen multiple films of these true-life solo cathartic voyages into the wilderness – such as Into the Wild and 127 Hours – and this big-screen adaptation of the memoir by Cheryl Strayed earns its place among them with a tough-minded heroine and an approach that’s provocative without turning heavy-handed.

It follows Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) in 1995, when the Minnesota native impulsively sets out with an oversized pack and a mission to walk the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail, from the California desert to the Oregon mountains. Inexperienced and initially fearful, she encounters a handful of strangers during the ensuing three months, some more helpful and supportive than others.

The real question, of course, is why she decided to embark on this journey filled with danger and uncertainty. The answers, at least as she sees them, are gradually revealed through a series of flashbacks, during which we see the details of her troubled personal life, including a recent divorce from her unstable husband (Thomas Sadoski), a tragic illness involving her mother (Laura Dern), and a subsequent downward spiral into drug use and promiscuity.

The episodic screenplay by Nick Hornby (An Education) also uses these frequent interludes, as well as Cheryl’s internal dialogue, as a method of generating sympathy without cheap shortcuts. And it’s not a bad strategy toward reducing audience skepticism with regard to her reckless method for starting her life over.

Just like its source material, the film is more concerned with Cheryl’s psychological rather than physical hurdles, the internalized nature of which is sometimes difficult to portray visually. Yet it feels authentic without tossing in a series of conveniently timed, trumped-up near-death experiences along the way.

Witherspoon’s audacious and uncompromising performance masterfully balances strength and vulnerability, eschewing glamour both physically and mentally. Dern likewise brings depth and emotional resonance to her role despite her relatively brief scenes.

Versatile director Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club) showcases the rugged landscapes and terrain along the trail in a way that’s not meant to intimidate but to complement Cheryl’s story, which is not one of grand revelations but of deeply personal accomplishments.

Like its setting, the film has some peaks and valleys, but finds rewards in its patience and perseverance.

Rated R, 115 minutes.