The film Into the Wild

On this page, you can find advice for working with the movie Into the Wild by Sean Penn, which was based on the book by Jon Krakauer.

Summary of the film

The movie Into the Wild by Sean Penn begins by showing Chris McCandless arriving in the Alaskan wilderness and stumbling upon an abandoned bus, which he decides to turn into his home. 

The story then flashes back to Chris' graduation from college, showing his conflict with his family as he disagrees with them about the value of material objects and a conventional lifestyle. Shortly afterwards, Chris destroys his personal documents, donates most of his money to charity, and sets off on his journey in an old and battered car - not telling his parents or his sister anything about his plans. Soon after his departure, Chris loses his car in a flash flood.

The following sections of the movie show Chris' travels through the US and the various people he meets and befriends on the way - such as the hippie couple Rainey and Jan, Chris' temporary employer Wayne Westerberg, and...