Making sense of madness

Ervell E. Menezes

How wild can one get? Yes, there are many ways to that goal. But Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) chooses trekking as she embarks on a 1,100-mile journey over 80-odd days of hardship, adventure and a few scares in Wild, the story of a woman wanting to find herself.

Based on her book, Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail, it has skinny, scrawny Cheryl (Witherspoon) with her huge backpack (she has to go on her knees to get her initial lift-up) setting out living a la R.L.Stevenson “with the heaven above and the road below”, though at times the road is just a narrow path.

Director Jean-Marc Valley gets right under the skin of this bold woman and with the judicious use of flashback brings the viewer up to date with why she has undertaken this adventure, her chequered past involving a failing marriage with Paul (Thomas Sadoski), a terminally ill mother Barbara (Laura Dern) and other skirmishes. That her mother had left her alcoholic husband is no mere coincidence, but she just cannot get over her calm reaction to the split, as also her mumbo-jumbo religious agenda.

On the road, her mother often figures in her day-dreams and these visuals merge with the plethora of characters on the road. Like Frank (W. Earl Broom), the man who takes her to his house for a meal and shower, Greg (Kevin Rankin), a fellow hiker who later gives up,  Jimmy Carter (Mo MacRae), the journo who interviews her for his “Hobo Times,” Jonathan (Michiel Hulsmadon whom she sleeps with and many more. Most of them are friendly and don’t make passes at her. Her encounter with her psychiatrist is hilarious and only reiterates her non-conformism.

There’s wildlife aplenty like the rattler she side-steps but who gives her nightmares, foxes with bushy tails and other creepy crawly creatures. The 115-minute duration is not exactly gripping but amply sustaining with scriptwriter Nick Hornby doing his bit with wit and repartee. This real life story is indeed elevating with Reese Witherspoon turning out probably her best role to date and she has been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar and ably supported by Laura Dern. Good cameos by Thomas Sadoski and Michiel Hulsmadon round off this not-to-be-missed saga.