What happens when you are young and successful, but suddenly discover that you are not happy with your life and your destiny? Bob Dylan’s masterpiece “Like A Rolling Stone” tells the story of a girl who had it all and out of the blue loses everything. But what happens when you are the one who decide to be a rolling stone, not due to an external reason, but because you discover you don’t like your life?
One of our new T-shirts is inspired by a movie about someone who asked this question, and decided it was time to do something. The movie is Into The Wild, based on the real story of Chris McCandless. After graduating from university, Chris left his family and friends, gave away his savings of $24,000 to Oxfam and got away to begin a new life. He chose a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and travelled across the States like a complete unknown, with no direction home. He finally arrives to Alaska, where he dies after living approx. 4 months alone in the wild forest.
Besides the sad ending, Chris/Alexander’s search is authentic. And that’s probably what Sean Penn also felt and what encouraged him to make this movie, his first one as a Director. Featuring Emile Hirsch as Chris/Alexander, Into The Wild takes us on a trip across the beautiful landscapes of Deep America, while the main character travels looking for life experiences.
At first, you feel sympathetic for Alexander and his bohemian view of life. He struggles to find the meaning of 'real' existence, away from the trappings of the modern world. But then you realise that his search caused him his death. He ventured deep into a wilderness area on his own, without adequate planning, preparation and supplies, so it was almost guaranteed to end in disaster. For some experts, he essentially committed suicide, and this is possibly true. This inevitably leaves a bitter taste in every spectator. Do you agree with the way Chris dealt with his problems? Was he really looking for the meaning of 'real' existence or just trying to escape from his problems, and getting lost in Alaska was the final –definitive- solution?
Tshirt: Into the wild
