Into the Wild
Whether you’re looking for the call of the wild or a cautionary tale, Niamh O’Reilly’s got the perfect movie to get you ready for the great outdoors.
NOMADLAND (2020)
Scooping both Best Picture and Best Director at the 2020 Oscars, Nomadland tells the tale of the growing number of people living a modern nomadic lifestyle in America.
Frances McDormand won her third Oscar for her performance as Fern, a woman in her sixties, who after losing everything in the recession, sets off on a journey through the American west, as a van-dwelling, modern-day nomad.
It’s a film about nothing and everything. It has so much to say about the way in which outsiders are treated and how the economic crash impacted on the very social fabric of the United States. While at first it appears like a bleak existence for Fern, she in fact finds solace in the power of the nomadic community.
Beautifully shot and slow moving, this one divided audiences and critics, who felt it was overly depressing. It could have worked just as well as a straight documentary, given the number of real people, Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao put in it, but it is well worth a watch.
WILD (2014)
If you’ve ever wanted to take off into the great outdoors on an epic hike, then Wild is for you. Starring Reese Witherspoon, it’s based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed who embarked on a monumental 1,000 mile journal along the United States Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, from the Southern California desert, to the forests of Oregon.
Struggling to get over the death of her mother, played by the wonderful Laura Dern, Cheryl goes through drug addiction and a myriad of casual one-night stands as she tries to get through her grief. Eventually she decides to take to the wild, although with zero experience or preparation, it’s very much a walk of attrition.
With an honest and raw look at grief and how we process it, the script is given that touch of magic courtesy of Nick Hornby. With some stunning scenery and a brilliant turn by Witherspoon, this will have you reaching for the hiking boots… just don’t forget the blister patches!
THE REVENANT (2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio finally bagged himself an Oscar for his portrayal of frontiersman Henry Glass in The Revenant, after being nominated and missing out six times previously. And boy did he deserve it for this one. Directed by award winning Alejandro G. Iñárritu, it is the ultimate tale of survival that even Bear Grylls would struggle to endure.
Based on the real story of fur trapper Hugh Glass’s survival in the wild, the film is set in 1820 as DiCaprio’s Glass and a team of frontiersmen set out with their haul of pelts through the freezing winter. Things take a turn when Glass is mauled by a bear and betrayed by members of his team.
Featuring one of the most physically gruelling performances you’re likely to see, this film is not for the faint hearted and shows the other side of nature.
From his close encounter with said bear, to crawling inside a still-warm animal carcass to sleep and eating raw bison liver, you’ll feel every step of this visceral tale of man vs nature.
Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter, round out an impressive all-star cast.
EVEREST (2015)
Have your big coat at the ready for this one folks, as Everest takes you right to the peak of the big one herself.
Based on real life events in 1996, the film follows the annual influx to Nepal of amateur hikers who pay thousands to climb to the very top of the world’s tallest mountain. It excellently illustrates the mind-boggling literal traffic jams of hikers who line up to get their feet on the summit of Everest each year.
Jason Clark plays Rob Hall, the New Zealand native and leader of one of the expeditions. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Halls’ rival team-leader, Scott Fischer and follows both as they make their way up and down the mountain with their charges.
The film begs the question, should anyone with enough money be facilitated to climb such a treacherous mountain, when they may be nowhere near physically capable to do so and where do the morals of such hiking services lie?
Boasting a terrific ensemble cast of Robin Wright, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley and Emily Watson, it's a hugely enjoyable watch.
127 HOURS (2010)
What would you do to survive? That’s the question at the heart of this film from Danny Boyle that brings the real-life story behind an incredible tale of survival to life.
In 2003, adventurer and climber Aron Ralston, played by James Franco, went out climbing. Crucially though he told no one where he was going and had no phone with him. All big climbing no-no’s by the way.
While out hiking through the canyons of Utah, he fell into a crevice and got trapped under a boulder. His right arm got horribly crushed, and he was unable to move. With few options, he came to the realisation that he had to make some very tough choices in order to survive.
Danny Boyle manages to find levity in the dark subject matter and while we all know how the story ends, after it hit the headlines, you’re still left on the edge of your seat watching the drama unfold.
If nothing else, it will make you remember to always tell someone where you’re off to when going out into the great outdoors for a hike and to never forget to bring your phone.
DELIVERANCE (1972)
There have been many imitations over the years, but there is only one Deliverance. Directed by Wicklow resident John Boorman, Deliverance is a film that stays with you long after you see it, but has a lot more to say for itself then just that now infamous sexual assault scene in the woods and duelling banjos.
It stars Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox as four friends who decide to get away from it all and head for the great outdoors, by taking one last canoeing trip down the river of a valley that’s about to be destroyed by the building of a dam.
The four men seem ignorant to the culture of the mountains and are not wholly welcomed by the locals who see them as part of the movement that’s destroying their way of life. Things soon get as wild as the white water they find themselves on, as the four men end up fighting for their lives.
The film is a haunting story very much about the power of nature, the wilderness and how we treat it, told in an almost horror movie fashion.
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