Reese Witherspoon wears no makeup in Wild, the film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's autobiographical book. The shiny-faced pixie of Sweet Home Alabama sheds her concealer and Upper East Side wardrobe, revealing the raw human underneath.

After years of bad choices, Cheryl decides to hike a thousand miles across the Pacific Crest Trail by herself as a means of breaking the pattern of sleazy adventures that comprise her daily life.

As the terrain becomes increasingly threatening, she reflects upon the events that led to her self-imposed exile. The images are discordant; mother dancing loosely in the kitchen; a hand unzipping a dress; a man's long-suffering glare over the steering wheel. Wisps of memory soon congeal to form a portrait of adolescent…

tiff 2014 film #16

My guess is that Wild will never get the audience it deserves. Why? Because we've already seen Into the Wild and 127 hours and we might be tired of films about young folk who have the luxury of going on high risk adventures and end up paying the price. It is why I didn't pick Wild as a film I wanted to see at TIFF. I can't say for sure what changed my mind*, but I'm glad I did, because Wild is a much better film than those other two as far as I am concerned. Much better.

Yes, it involves a long hike. But the way Jean-Marc Vallée tells Cheryl Strayed's story is original and…

Another addition to the list of numerous biographies portrayed on the silver screen last year, Wild is a wonderfully crafted, often rejuvenating & quite entertaining wilderness adventure from the director of Dallas Buyers Club that benefits hugely from Reese Witherspoon's committed performance but is also marred by its somewhat frustrating narrative style.

Based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir of the same name, Wild chronicles her journey of self-discovery as she goes on a 1100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in order to rehabilitate herself from years of destructive behaviour brought upon by the death of her mother & recent divorce. The film also covers many other events from her life in flashbacks.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, the hiking portion of the film…

I’m a sucker for character studies and non-linear narratives.

Reese Witherspoon is raw and vulnerable the entire time, this is her best/most understated performance.

Jean-Marc Vallée’s directing and editing is nothing short of sublime. We weave between past and present seamlessly - patiently unravelling the story. The fragmented imagery during the traumatic memories felt very real to me, especially the weird stuff you tend to remember, like what painting was hanging in the doctor’s office.

Some of the imagery is very blunt - Witherspoon’s character Cheryl carries a huge heavy bag on her back that she can barely lift. A bag she later finds out is carrying many things she doesn’t need. DO YOU GET IT? But I’m a sucker…

Three word review: Wild Poundland Purchase

I took a punt on this after I'd picked it up for £1 in a Pound land. Was it worth the punt?

The way it is told is what makes the film that little bit different. You will be sent forward and backwards in the story, flashbacks come and go but not in order, but to reveal plot details. Plus the editing is done to put you inside Reese Witherspoons head and thoughts.

Witherspoon is absolutely a reason to watch this film. In what is a very personal journey for her character, she portrays a very believable persona of someone who became who she is because of her experiences (and in some cases, lack…