Wild * * * *

As ridiculous as it sounds this film made me want to do what the lead character did.  I actually got it - the whole solitary back to nature thing.  Nothing to do other than to simply be.  But then I was cosily sitting in a cinema.  It’s a true story about a woman , played by Reese Witherspoon, with a messed up life who decides to walk it all out.  She takes on a seriously challenging hiking track, The Pacific Trail, and walks about 1000 miles of it, by herself, with no prior hiking experience.  She meets other hikers from time to time and has a disturbing confrontation or two, but mostly we see her alone.  Her story is told in flashbacks.  Aside from her sex and drug addiction, paramount in the pain she suffers is the loss of her mother who is seemingly a beautiful woman in spirit.  Centred around one person and their “need” this is the kind of film which could go so wrong if not handled properly. Fortunately this is handled with a lot of care, and the outcome is an inspiring pleasure to watch.