Director Jean Marc-Vallée Delivers His New Film ‘Wild’

Neil McNally

After the worldwide acclaim of 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club,” director Jean Marc-Vallée makes a welcome return to the screen with “Wild.” Featuring a script by Nick Hornby, author of “About a Boy” and “High Fidelity,” the film aims to take moviegoers along on an arduous and enlightening journey of self-discovery.

“Wild” tells the harrowing story of author Cheryl Strayed and her choice to hike over 1,000 miles along the treacherous Pacific Crest Trail situated among the Sierra Nevada/Cascade mountain ranges. The decision does not come lightly as it follows the tragic death of her mother, a bitter divorce, and many years of substance and sexual addictions. It’s not hard to make the connection that the trail, similar to her life, is a long and winding road.

Reese Witherspoon, who is also a producer on the film, recently explained her decision to form her own production company to the New York Times. “Other than one studio, literally one, nobody was developing anything with a female lead; it just hit me like a ton of bricks. And I was so mad. And then I thought ‘Why am I so upset about this? Why don’t I do something about it?” With this thought in mind, she founded Pacific Standard, which in addition to “Wild,” recently achieved massive critical acclaim with their first film, David Fincher’s “Gone Girl.”

The choice of Jean-Marc Vallée as director was a wise one, as he has very much proven himself with darker, character-driven scripts highlighting lost, but redeeming characters. The film is already garnering much critical acclaim and has returned Witherspoon back to the public eye in a very big way.

In the end, a movie is a lot like a backpack. You have to load up with the proper supplies for the long days and nights ahead, or it just won’t work. “Wild” came prepared and it certainly shows.

‘Wild’ will be released in theaters Dec. 5.