I spent my Spring Break watching some movies.
One of them that left an impression was the 2007 film Into The Wild
It is the true story of Christopher McCandless - a twenty two year old man, who decided to leave everything and everyone behind to travel across the United States to live in the Alaskan wilderness.
What struck me was that this was NOT a story of an idealistic visionary but rather a young man with Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia frequently surfaces in late adolescence, often making its impact in college age individuals. It is an illness that distorts the ability to think clearly, and is often accompanied by hallucinations &/or delusions, among other symptoms. Schizophrenia is generally stereotyped. Versions of maniacal people cringing in paranoia or hiding in shadows are never accurate depictions. In my opinion, Christopher McCandless was experiencing Schizophrenia, not an unbridled zest for an unencumbered life.
His story is tragic for many, many reasons.
If you saw the movie or read the book , tell me what you think.
51 comments:
I have the movie on my list to see but have put it off because I'm get so impacted by movies/books, I have to be in the right frame of mind. Did you ever read "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb? If so what did you think?
thanks for reminding me. i'm looking forward to watching this.
I could not have watched that movie...
too tragic..
a friend of mine is affected by schizophrenia...and what it did to his life is sad enough for me :(
I heard about this movie and it is on my "to watch" list. It is good to know that it accurately depicts schizophrenia which often times gets lost in translation.
In my opinion, Christopher McCandless was experiencing Schizophrenia, not an unbridled zest for an unencumbered life.
I agree with this. I never got the feeling, in the book, or the film, that he was overjoyed by what he was experiencing. I felt like he was a bit paranoid, but I never thought deep enough into it to think, hey, this guy could be mentally ill. I just thought he was different. I have a whole new perspective now and want to share it with family and friends to get their opinions.
yes, it is sad, he could have gotten help if his parents weren't so wrapped up.
Hey Deb.
Schizophrenia, I thought the exact same thing while I was watching this film.
The author, not to mention the screenwriter (Sean Penn), cannot be entirely sure as to the every detail, let alone conversation, regarding this young man's journey, yet I'm sure they are somewhat aware that he may have in fact been schizophrenic.
Truly, I find the omission of this possibility to be dangerous and irresponsible.
As a filmmaker, I'll admit that this film is indeed a beautiful piece of art, but it offers an idealized, glamorized rendition of this man's condition and journey to young impressionable individuals and now young men are following in Christopher's footsteps in an effort to find themselves and/or rebuke modern society.
I saw a story on the echo effect of this film and it's equally as tragic, as many are becoming trapped and/or victimized whilst on their quest for serenity and independence.
In fact, many of these young people are dropping left and right across the mid-west and in particular Alaska, from hypothermia, starvation and disease. Many have even become victims of violence, as do many schizophrenics--that's the reality that has been lost.
As an artist I'm not usually one to critique the pro/con influence and moral responsibility of film and/or the filmmaker, however in this case, Penn might have exercised a bit more discretion and at least incorporated the possibility of mental illness, as impressionable individuals should be aware that life is not as neatly packaged as this story would seem to suggest.
I hope you are well,
jenji
Hey Barbara,
I didn't read Lamb's new book, but did read She's Come Undone years back. What did you think of the new book? Would love to know if you recommend it.
Dear Vesper,
IF you see it, visit again and let me know if you agree/disagree with my theory.
Dear Kath,
It's always wise to know what things can trigger you. So sad to learn about your friend. Is he getting treatment?
Dear Tiptoe,
My opinion is that it doesn't address Schizophrenia. It depicts a young man with idealism and wanderlust. Missing a most important issue therein.
Dear Anon,
Since I wrote my post I surfed around and found many others that think similarly to me. I believe it is hard to see the schizophrenia piece if one were not familiar with its symptoms etc. I mean no disrespect and do not make light of this young man's life, but I wonder if he could have been saved from his tragic end.
Dear Jenji,
I think Schizophrenia explains much of the decisions he made, among other things. It would also bring some sense of closure for his family to view things from a mental illness lens. I hear you when you wish to be respectful and nonjudgemental of art. Schizophrenia is often misunderstood, so I do not fault anyone for not "seeing" it. As a filmaker and artist, you have a wonderful ability to view, pun intended, from behind and in front of the camera as well as a viewer. Have I seen any of your work?
Deb, I think you would really like the "I Know This Much Is True". Its mainly about two twin brothers, one with schizophrenia, their dysfunctional family, and has a story within a story. I found it a great read and loved the characters he developed. One of my favorite novels.
I watched the movie with the same sense that something was "off." I didn't come to the conclusion of schizophrenia, but his social interactions were definitely bizarre and I wondered about his absence of sexuality. A little further research on the internet about him led me to think that his story was not one of seeking perfection in nature but something else. Yes, I think schizophrenia or maybe schizoid personality?
I just finished the book and came away thinking he had some form of mental illness too. I think the whole situation was so tragic.
I got the same sense of things as Anon. did. He didn't seem to enjoy the life he was living and yet was compelled by a stronger force to keep going forward. I found the book interesting but really came away from it feeling sad and strangely..angry. Not at him of course,but the situation.
Hmmm... I never saw that one. It does seem sad.
So, if a person is in spititual distress (assuming you believe we have souls or spirits that will live on after the body dies), doesn't that cause huge trauma to the person's psyche? Do you just ignore a patient's deeply held religious beliefs, even if something like cognitive dissonance (the sins they are committing vs. what their religion says they can't do) is causing their mental illness? I'm just curious, because it seems like to ignore something that might really be hurting the patient (because you don't believe it, or you don't want to step on any toes, or etc.) is an awful big elephant right in the middle of the room to be ignoring.
Sorry Deb, this might be a can of worms you don't want to open on your blog. So you can email me if you would like to answer my questions. I can say that I have never seen a phd in psychology, but I have seen two Christian counselors with masters in psychology and both of them helped me.
Dear BArbara,
Will put it on my list to read.
Dear Psychphd,
Something was definitely up with this young man. It must have been very hard on everyone who loved him. And I suspect, at times, difficult for him as well.
Dear Lael,
I felt angy too. I know what you mean. What loss. What tragedy. No a direct anger, but more of a helpless anger.
Dear Scott,
I'd refer to a therapist whose convictions were similar to yours. I am a very spiritual person, but do not hold ties to an organized religion. There'd be no elephant in the room.
I just saw this movie, (read the book too), and found it very disturbing and haunting. Partly because my family dynamic was similar to his, and I understood his letting his parents go. I also wondered if perhaps he suffered from a mental illness. At the same time, way back in the day, I knew a handful of young men who engaged in similar quests as Chris. I wouldn't say they were all mentally ill. Sometimes, too, I wonder if we kinda see what we know, and that doesn't always make what we see true. Know what I mean?
Cheers,
J.D.
I saw this movie when it was in the theater. It was clear that this young man was disturbed. I did not specifically think of schizophrenia but I am not well versed in that illness. I too was surprised by his lack of sexuality.
I did not know about the ending before seeing this film. After the movie was over, I had to go into the bathroom and lock myself into a stall and cry until I was able to leave. It was such an emotional film.
I have reserved this one in my local library after reading a review. Your post makes me want to read it even more. I also wonder if the book and the movie are about the same...
I have not seen it yet, my neighbors own a copy and its just a matter of remembering to borrow it. Since hearing about it, I've wondered "Was he Bipolar?" I did not think of Schizophrenia. I'll watch it and tell you what I think. It makes perfect sense though. What I would presume will be the presence of social detachment, in particular.
I read "I Know This Much is True" by Lamb. Its been a few years. Overall I liked the book very much. I remember the healthy twin's struggle. There were some therapy scenes in the latter part of the book, but I'm forgetting the details. I have this vague memory of feeling disappointed by the ending, but not enough to discredit what the book offered.
Hi
It is a very nice and good post and I like it.
Oh, oh, oh! How interesting. My husband and I watched the film not long ago -- expecting something different. As we were watching, my husband kept saying that Christopher McCandless was so similar to our oldest son. Early on in the movie I said I would send our son the book. But when it started going bad I changed my mind. Didn't matter because we found out our son has read the book.
Anyway, thanks. He's run the gamut for social workers to psychiatrits and Schizophrenia has never been mentioned. I'm definitely going to look into this.
I rarely run in the direction of new movies, but this is one I'd like to see. I've read the book, and found it relentlessly depressing and fascinating at the same time, so I am interested to see what sort of film Sean Penn turned out.
Thanks for the movie suggestion. I will have to check it out.
I haven't seen the movie, but will look out for it. :)
I haven't seen the movie, but if it is the one my husband told me about where the guy leaves his well off parents and starves or freezes to death in the wilderness, then I actually did come up with a metaphor immediately as he was still telling me the story (a little projection, perhaps). Mine was this:
Something was not right in the family of origin. Perhaps there was a cold parent, some trauma, or abuse, or the parents refused to connect with this guy to give him permission to be himself. He had to choose. The 'real him', or the 'fake him' that his family would accept. He chose himself, but he was a little too wounded to have what most would consider proper reasoning skills. His soul might believe that he made the right decision in a way, though, because he chose to be free. The metaphor? Maybe it was 'Live free or die'. I wish someone could know the true and real details of what it was that he needed freedom from so he could have a witness, even though it would be too late to save his life. He deserves a real witness.
I'm going to comment, having not seen the movie or read the book.
I grew up in Alaska.
To take off to live in the wilderness alone like the "Into the Wild" guy did is either suicidal or shows some serious disconnect with reality. Schizophrenia in this setting wouldn't surprise me.
Maybe I'll see the movie one day. I think about it and then think to myself, "I don't feel like watching a movie about suicide today."
we havent seen it but i think we will.
How ironic that my 18 year old just watched this movie yesterday for a school project. My older son (his brother age 19 1/2) has been diagnosed in the past with "probable" bipolar disorder. Without mentioning your take on the movie, I asked my 18 year old what he thought and he said that the Christopher Mccandless character reminded him alot of his brother...hmmmmmm. I have often wondered if my oldest was truly bipolar, the diagnosis never seemed to fit to me, now I am wondering if that early diagnosis was off and we could possibly be looking at schizophrenia. I don't know where to begin.
I'll have to see that one. Another film about schizophrenia that I found interesting was the film, "A Beautiful Mind". Such a brilliant mind descending into chaos and then learning to live with his illness.
I saw this movie in the theatre and also thought it was an excellent piece of art. As far as accurately telling a true story, however, I also thought something was quite off.
*WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*
It seemed obvious to me that he was running away FROM something rather than going in search to FIND something.
There was a real inconsistency in his planning. He had books on edible wild plants and got instruction on how to kill, slaughter and store wild game (which he was not successful at in the field, by the way--had he been he may have lived) but he didn't seem to know anything about flash flooding (like where he ended up abandoning his car) or the effects of the spring thaw. He didn't even have his own pair of boots for crying out loud!
I did see moments of pure, free joy depicted in the film, but I also saw great regret and suffering. It was a tragic way to cut short a young life.
Deb, i always take your advice, I will check this movie out ;-)
I read this book a few years back & considered it quite boring. The only reason I finished the book was to finish the book. (I don't mean to be rude, I'm trying to be honest) When I heard they made a movie out of it, I was stunned. I couldn't imagine how they could possibly make that book interesting.
BUT...when I read the book I never considered he might be schizophrenic, if I had I undoubtedly would have seen it through completely different eyes. Unfortunately, I've given the book away & doubt I'd read it again anyways.
I think I will watch the movie.
I've never seen it, but I ask a very simple (and probably very difficult at the same time) question:
How do you tell the difference?
i saw the young man who portrayed him in the movies and the producer of the movie on a talk show. i thought it was definitely sad about his death. i didn't know he suffered from schizophrenia though.
i have a friend who's schizophrenic, and sometimes she gets in such a bad way that she comes off of her meds, and then she's a real mess. it's hard dealing with her sometimes, and i have to back off for a bit.
I would agree that Christopher McCandless suffered from an illness although I didn't realize it was schizophrenia. What I couldn't understand was why Sean Penn felt McCandless was heroic.
People in Alaska thought it was downright "stupid" for McCandless to live in the wild without proper preparation and supplies. And now there are a slew of folks visiting the bus where he died as if it's a shrine. I felt McCandless' death was tragic and unnecessary.
Susan
Another one huh? I felt that Timothy Treadwell was bi-polar and that someone should have medicated that guy instead of letting him keep going to Alaska til he finally got himself eaten. I will have to read this book.
It was tragic that McCandless died out there in the wilderness; but then again, so many people have benefited from his story... a couple of years of hitchhiking led to his story challenging thousands (millions?) of people to reexamine their lives
Hey everyone,
Interesting and compelling comments left here. This young man's tragic story seems to have touch us all in some way.
Did that trip in the early '70s...thought I was tough, did lots of drugs, had a serious attitude. Easy Rider was the inspiration, and an abusive boss was the motivation. Strong enough to not need people. Hated the rules my parents laid down. Finally had a big fight with the old man, hitchhiked to Eastern Canada, down to Boston, and back up to Sault St. Marie. Was beaten, robbed, raped, and learned what a VD clinic looked like from the inside.
I nearly froze one morning, the guy in the sleeping bag beside me did freeze to death. He was a seventeen year old drunk. No tears shed, though I DID take the trouble to see that his effects got back to his family.
The experience provided a serious attitude correction for me. And for the other young people that I met....most of whom were very naive, gentle, and trusting.
When I read the book I could relate to the "kid". I figured that if he had more than two brain cells he would have come through it okay...when he didn't, I figured it was Darwin in action. Didn't shed a single tear during the book, and like one of the other posters said, I had to struggle through the book since I rarely like books about people who want sympathy for doing stupid things. I don't think I finished it....
Same kids on the street right here in Pickanytown, some have mental illnesses, but most just want to get away from the smothering family and "live". I didn't think this fella had a mental illness at all....what he had was a desire to get out from under. I may change my mind now that I have read your review.
Maybe the movie is different from the book. I'll have to go see.
Really interesting point. I saw this recently and I came away from it with the impression that the journey was somewhat allegorical like Dante's descent. It does seem like a perfect fit, in many ways, for the loss of one's connection with your underlying self that so often accompanies schizophrenia.
My Uncle is schizophrenic and growing up with him (he lived with us for many years) was really this journey, into the wilderness of the mind. The schizophrenic has always seemed like a seeker to me, and it isn't a wholly internalised search as with many mental illnesses - more often it's about reaching into the world but it is a world that's remote from the one most of us share, and distorted.
So yes, the wilderness/ distance from shared space and the wandering loneliness make a lot of sense if his journey is seen as being into the wilds of the mind too. There's something that remains eternally unfinished with schizophrenia which I definitely saw reflected in this movie.
Perhaps it's because the loss that accompanies schizophrenic illness is not for what was so much as for what might have been which is what this sort of wandering journey is about (like, say, in Kerouac's On The Road).
I haven't watched this one. I read about it when it first came out and couldn't.
It's just good to have discussions such as this to raise awareness and full understanding, without misconception, of how schizophrenia presents.
I've read the book but haven't seen the movie, so I'm not sure how similar they are. The author took pains to state that although many people thought the young man was mentally ill, he didn't. (I think the author identified with him in many areas.)
I thought he had some sort of problem, though schizophrenia didn't occur to me. He definitely seemed to have a willful ignorance of reality.
I would be very interested to know if you still had this theory after reading the book as well!
Hi,
I won't read the book or see the movie. I spend too much time working to support my mentally ill brother. From the excerpts and reviews I've read, it does strike me that the poor man was mentally ill, not a "free spirit". My brother is schizophrenic and took to wandering over the years. His journey could have been similar had he made it all the way to Alaska. He did make it to Canada before we got him home again. I do believe the author and director have done a disservice to the mentally ill in this country by not further exploring the issue of mental illness.
As for the Wally Lamb book - I Know this Much is True. I found it to be one of the best treatments of mental illness in popular fiction. The emotions displayed by the well brother, are all to familiar. But I also thought, as with all fiction, it was a little to "neat".
Mental illness is much more destructive and it's an absolute myth that there is hospital space available, never mind outpatient treatment. It's a good place to start.
I think this film was really good.. really artistic, philosophical, and very helpful. I would never forget the scene where he has a talk with the old man on the mountain.
I dont think he was schizofrenic..
I think he was concerned about all thats happening in the world, wars, hunger, killing, rapes, etc.. he wanted to do a difference, because the authors of the books he read were looking for that. W
e have Thoreau as a person that seemed to be from the future on 1890.I read "Walking" form him and it was a precious pieces of words for people that would like to make some difference in this world. http://thoreau.eserver.org/walking.html
What do you think guys?
Before saying he was schizofrenic.. you should read the material Chris McCandless read and influenced in his person.
I watched it and all I saw was a drugfree, a sexual "hippie". What he did was nothing new. Many have done the same thing. He simply died doing it. However I will say that much of what I saw was also the writers "guess" of what he would have been doing/thinking/behaving and we cant actually know what was going on when he was alone.
I watched this movie tonight with my girlfriend she read the book years ago. While most of the comments tended to lean toward Chris's schizophrenia I was really upset at his final demise! They was a part of me that wanted to just be there at the final moment to reach out and just hug him. To me he seemed to be running from the past but along his journey he found and touched many different people. I was left with one question. Did any or all of those people he met actally find out about his passing?? Just a thought!
rich
I just watched this movie tonight with my girlfriend. While most people that viewed it concluded he was mentally ill was to a degree correct.
But my human side just wanted to reach out and just hug him when we witnessed his last moments on this planet. It does seem to me that he was running from the past but I was moved by the people he touched along his journey. I wonder if all of them found out about his death??
rich
I read the book some time ago, but just watched the film this weekend. Both are outstanding. That said, I've never had the sense that Christopher McCandless was suffering from any kind of mental illness. Many young people at different times in history (most recently the 1960s, 1970s, 1990s) have rejected society and its norms. Many have "dropped out" and some have died--but few have done so dramatically enough to have had a book and film made about them. Methodically destroying the paper trail that would have allowed his family to find him, earning money before the Alaska trip with the intent of buying supplies (however naive his supply list may have been), even his prior trip down the Colorado River--this seems to suggest orderly--not disordered--thought. My sense too was that he planned to rejoin society (or at least people) once he'd completed his "last big adventure"--instead he died. I doubt he thought he would die in Alaska, though certainly he must have thought he might. But young people never think they actually will die in dangerous situations. This seems like a terrible mistake, not the delusional wanderings of someone suffering from mental illness.
I just saw this moive.
I am the father of a young man (now 25) who, in this moment, is struggling with how to engage or withdraw from society, just as in the movie. My son has not been diagnose with any mental illness but he has had episodes of paranoia.
There is more to this story for my son. There is the confusion, the difficulty with decisions, the want to be normal.
There is also the other side of the story of his mother and I. There is no greater despair I know then to watch your own child slip away in with the undercurrent of life.
I saw so so much of my son in this movie.
I love him and miss him very much.
Dad.
Hi
I am watching the movie at this moment, and i think that this young man probably has a Bipolar Disorder.
For the man that posted his suffer for his son, i understand your pain.
Take your son to a Psychiatrist as soon as possible.
Doc
I saw the movie first and just read the book for a college english class. I don't know enough about schizophrenia to be able to begin to try to classify a person as suffering from this disease, but I will say something had to be wrong with Chris McCandless.
He made a new name for himself "Alexander Supertramp" and when he wrote in his diary he referred to himself in the third person. He wanted to get away to destroy the inner evil or something like that.
He could not stand being around other people, even beginning in his college years.
Something, definately something was wrong. He's gone now but I hope those that need help get it and get better.
M.
I watched the movie for the first time and although it was a good movie, it's sad to think an intelliegnt college educated 22 year old would have gone and lived like that alone. It's not normal for a 22 year old to want to be alone like that. So it makes me think as well that he was mentally unstable. Im very experienced in wilderness backpacking and canoeing and some of the stuff that he did in the movie takes years of learning.He came off as being this great Kayaker to which ...its not like that at all. You certainly dont jump into a kayak and run extreme rapids like they showed in the movie. So no, I do not see this young man being any hero at all. It seems like he ran from any problems he had. Yes I do think he had some major mental issues. Kind of dumb to burn your money and bury your ID as well. So no, this movie is a "what not to do" instead of..."this guy was a hero" . Bottom line....don't run away from your problems, cause we all have them. What he did was a very dangerous thing and it is what cost him his life and Im hoping this movie doent give unexperienced people the idea they can go and just do this kind of stuff in back country that you may not see a soul for many months and have no means to feed yourself.
Dr. Deb, the 1st time I saw this movie, I, too, thought Chris may have had the initial onset of schizophrenia. The second time I viewed the movie, I became convinced that he had a fragile and then a fractured psyche. I think he was absolutely devastated in learning of his father's transgressions which caused his identity heretofore, to implode. For 20 plus years, he had no knowledge that his father was still married to another woman and had never married his mother. He did not have the coping skills and this was complicated by the fact that he was going through the typical "I abhor my parents and all that they believe" phase. He became reckless-but so many of us do at that age. I don't think his ideals were delusional either. He was still young and searching-specifically for happiness I believe. Something I can certainly identify with. I may be a tad prejudiced, however as I have felt for a long time that Manic depression; Schizophrenia; Bi polar disorders et al, have become the diseases du jour. This, after working in Social Services for 33 years. Regardless, I'm just not near convinced that he was schizophrenic.
It seems to me that the story of Christopher McCandless is one of a traumatized teen suffering from mental illness. I haven't read or heard enough about him to know for sure but it definitely seems that the character was at least bipolar. I'm not sure that Chris could have developed the relationships he did or gotten as far as he did had he been schizophrenic. He was very functional in many ways and was able to establish lofty goals and meet them. This seems much more like mania seen in Bipolar Disorder than schizophrenia.
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