The music never stopped (and never will!)

You can be the most skeptical person in the world, but you cannot deny that the story portrayed in the movie is actually very beautiful. We human beings are highly dependent of our memories and thinking that a simple song can bring a whole scene in a person's brain is amazing. We are used to connect particular scents and smells (a perfume, the small of a special food, and so on) to important people or to remarkable experiences in our lives, so why would it be impossible to happen with music? Particularly, I think that the power of a melody is even more strong, because the language of music is one that can't be translated, can't be measured, can't be described. It is something that you feel, and you feel only.

Believing in Gabriel's story or not, it is also undeniable that music, especially the band "Grateful Dead", had a great impact on Gabriel's personality. At the same time that he heard this band and identified himself with the lyrics and all the atmosphere it created, he also builded up his character and "being a fan of Grateful Dead" is part of what he was.

Besides the theme of music as being an important part of our lives, the movie talks about the pressure of society about people following the rules and being an important and successful "graduated" person. Having a diploma was - and still is - considered as the only way to be happy, rich, and respected.

Of course, being a musician, such as Gabriel wanted to be, had no value at all. People who spend their time and money to create songs that eventually may change or mark someone's life are just some lucky ones that were conceived with this "gift" by God and can be free from the pain of working in a dull office. Lucky bastards, right? The society's opinion towards musicians - that they are not professionals like all the others - may have destroyed the dreams of millions of others that wanted to live a life just the way Gabriel wanted to. In this sense, Gabriel's father is not the only one to blame. Even so, at the end he was freed from his prejudice and could see the beauty of simply letting the music guide him through paths that he was not able to walk on his own.

THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED

First of all, I have some questions I would like you to answer:

- Do you like to listen to music? 

- What kind of music? 

- Did you use to hear something that your parents disapproved? 

- If yes, what was your/their reaction related to it?

As in "Into the Wild", to understand better what happens in this movie, you have to put yourself in Gabriel's shoes. I mean, Gabriel was a typical teenager form the 60's. He wanted to play his ideas for people in U.S. who used to have a different idea of respect, love and war. He was being a rebel, which is not bad for me, but for his dad it was terrible. 

After running away from home (after an argument with his dad, who is very ignorant), he starts doing drugs and living as he wanted to. About twenty years later he is sick from tumors in his brain and, as a consequence, he partially loses his memories. I say partially, because he starts remembering things when he listens to songs he used to enjoy. 

You may think that music brought their parents back to him, but not only music. Actually, the disease was a crucial point for them to recover, and his dad to change his way of thinking (or maybe trying). Music helped him to remember important moments in his life.

I really enjoyed this movie and the story. I could see myself there, when I was a rebel teenager and when I got sick. Hard situations can change everything and everybody.

Into the Wild

First of all, kudos to Sean Penn who did a wonderful job as a director.  He was able to deeply explore Jon Krakauer’s book and make it into a captivating film.  Also, I would like to highlight Eddie Vedder’s beautiful soundtrack.  The Pearl Jam’s lead singer went further into Christopher McCandless’ feelings, connecting the facts read on the book to the music he wrote, in order to bring up the deepest within one’s heart.

Even though the movie was based on real events, as the previous post mentioned, we’ll never know exactly what was on Chris’ mind during his years on the road.  We can be sure of the reasons that made him choose such a risky and “lonely” path:  society.

Freud would definitely blame it on Mr. and Mrs. McCandless.  His relationship with his parents was far from friendly.  Chris himself (in the movie at least) many times repeated how the parents were to blame.  And you can also spot some of Mr. McCandless on Sean Penn’s portrait of Chris.

Some say he was spoiled and selfish, but the kid had balls to live what he thought was right.  Inspired by the American’s romantics, such as Thoreau, and others, Chris believed in the purest connection between humans and nature.  He believed in the communion of life into the wild.

Into the Wild

     Well, to start and situate about this movie I will give some extra information:

Directed by: Sean Penn
Country: United States
Distributed by: Paramount Vantage
Based on: Into the Wild, the 1996 non-fiction book, written by Jon Krakauer.
Movie Releases in: September 21, 2007.

     Initially, what calls my attention is that the whole story is based from the Krakauer filter of what was Christopher intentions and decisions. It's an outsider non-relate to the real person, however, calling the work as non-fiction. In fact, the story came to Krakauer because of his profession and when Christopher was already dead. We see what Jon wanted us to see.
     Focusing on the plot, we can see an ordinary young boy, who based on his readings, decide to live in the wilderness. It seems like a guy who can see the problems in modern society, especially because it is closely related to his life, his parents are sons of this time, perfect replicas of the futile world. Some knowledge and rebelliousness led him to fight against his reality, this future of becoming a lawyer and builting the way on money. However, even he trying to fight and find his own way, for me is a young guy who bought other people thinking that were against what he hated. And he hated because he suffered.
    Christopher's intentions guided him to go live, in the way he believed living meant. The experiences he lived were truly extraordinaries, although it was the ordinary, in his view it looked awesome. The way he dealt with people was humane, closed, involved. He was willing to the others experiences. This path causes his self improvement.
     The only problem I see is that few moments he has to deal with people like his parents, all people portrayted seems good and treat him very well. There are just two exceptions, the guard and the train worker, but were moments of people in their duties. It seems hard to believe that most people are open to a stranger like that.
      Finally, his sad end. I didn't read the book, but if it is like the movie, come on! He looks in the book, turns a few pages, and there is a good plant, poison plant. It's like he didn't check other pages to see about the specie that he eats! Then, the end, game over. It's a really silly death. And it's ironically how he aims to go to Canada, to be alone and isolated, and ends thinking how important is to have somebody. It's death laughing at him, that poor child lost his life pursuing something and left behind what was really important.

Yeah, Christopher, you left quite a history...

 
That his last words be mine: