As exhilarating and breath-taking as witnessing a beautiful sunrise over a snow-capped mountain—that is the effect of Into the Wild. A majestic true story of one young man’s journey into self-discovery, freedom and, ultimately, redemption, this film pries its way into your heart and makes its home there. It is certain to grace many a best-of list at year’s end. Deliberately paced and quiet, the audience is given plenty of time for reflection and self-examination as we journey with the young man Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) on his road to liberation through the landscape of God’s magnificent creation.

McCandless is a college grad, armed with a large savings account and two hovering and controlling parents (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden). Disillusioned and fed up with the idea of formality and convention, McCandless donates his savings to charity (“feed someone with this” he writes on the donation envelope) and leaves it all behind. Telling no one of his plans, he heads off with a goal of reaching the snow-capped mountains of Alaska. Inspired by the writings of Tolstoy, London, and Thoreau, McCandless craves “ultimate freedom” and a life unencumbered by wealth, materialism and, God forbid, career. Giving himself the moniker Alexander Supertramp, he undergoes a rebirth of sorts.

While rooted in good intentions, his journey into the wild can be viewed in a variety of ways. On one hand, our hearts soar with him on his great adventure. We may even be envious of a life of no obligation or responsibility. On the other hand, it can be viewed as the act of a narcissist. The pain and distress to his family is only one repercussion of his selfishness. This fact is not lost on McCandless in the long run—eventually he realizes the consequences of his actions. Even carrying the burden of a dark family secret is not justification to abandon one’s family. The quest for reconciliation and resolution will always lead us home. As with any idealist, his life remains full of contradiction. For someone who eschews technology and materialism, Chris is not opposed to bumming a ride in an automobile, taking a job to earn money or showering in a farm’s irrigation system.

Brilliantly paced, Christopher tells his own story in titled chapters. The beginning of his adventure is titled “My Birth,” followed by “Adolescence,” “Manhood,” “Family,” and the final chapter, “Getting of Wisdom.” And what a fascinating story it is.

Based on the book by Jon Krakauer and directed by Sean Penn, the epic vistas of creation are stunning. You can almost feel the crisp wind and smell the brisk mountain air as Chris embarks on his trek. His encounters with wildlife are awe-inspiring: running with wild horses and a too-close-for-comfort meeting with a bear. He meets and builds relationships with fascinating people along the way: a farmer played by Vince Vaughan, two road-tripping hippies Jan and Rainey (Catherine Keener and Brian Dierker), and elderly leather maker Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook). It is in the company of so-called strangers that he experiences true family as they extend grace and hospitality toward him. They are as gripped by his story as he is theirs.

The apex of the story comes in Christopher’s relationship with Franz. This frail man, who has lived a lifetime alone since the death of his family many years before, is challenged to live and enjoy life by the young traveler. In turn, Franz blesses him with the wisdom and love that Chris had sought so long from his own family. Franz, brilliantly portrayed with tenderness by Holbrook, tells him: “when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines on you.” You can nearly see the weight of the world lifted off Chris’ shoulders at these words—to him it amounts to revelation.

Into the Wild is brilliant filmmaking—engrossing, moving, contemplative, instructive, and inspiring. The images and thoughts provoked will stay with you long after the lights have gone up, and the harrowing performances of Hirsch and Holbrook should certainly be remembered come award season. Chris began his journey with a mission of reaching Alaska. While he may not have made it as far in his physical journey as he hoped, it is apparent that he not only reached his destination spiritually but, as his last chapter is titled, he got the wisdom he longed for. Isn’t that how it often works out? Sometimes the best journeys are the ones that do not turn out exactly as we planned.