Five films to see to (well) think before going on a hike

Hiking is like camping and bungee jumping: it can’t be improvised. There are plenty of reasons to want to put on walking shoes and go for a mile, but there are even more to stay away from this discipline which, in its undeniably soothing aspects, can create more of a twitch.

The selection of films that follows has absolutely no ambition to be exhaustive (apart from between these parentheses, you will not find any other mention of Hikers by Philippe Harel, which does not prevent it from being quite watchable). See it rather as a list of warnings: yes, trudge is good, but no, we must not hope that it happens systematically in serenity and sharing.

“Stop or I continue”: do not go into crisis

If you have never seen a film by Sophie Fillières, it is possible thatStop or I continue, his sixth feature film, disconcerts you a bit. The filmmaker has already done much more absurd things, but this film remains full of small quirks, unexpected attitudes, deliberately sidelined lines. Thanks to the presence of Emmanuelle Devos and Mathieu Amalric in the main roles, the rendering is perfectly tasty, as long as you deign to make the effort to enter it.

She is Apple; he is Peter. The couple is struggling badly, despite vague plans, home sports sessions with a tough coach and an illusion of comfort. During a hike, Pomme decides the cup is full. And makes a radical decision: she orders Pierre to return to the marital home, while she is going to stay in the forest while she takes stock. A stay that she makes last longer than expected, and during which she will use wipes and save an ibex.

Can we really draw conclusions from such a quirky film? No doubt, yes, because despite the fantasy, Sophie Fillières’ view of Pomme et Pierre is sadly realistic. Conclusion: no, the hike does not tighten the bonds; no, good equipment is not enough; yes, a breakup is sometimes so scary that you have less courage to act on it than to spend the night under the stars.

“Into the wild”: bring
his food

We are certainly more in the road trip than in pure and simple hiking, but all the same: Christopher McCandless, the hero of into the wild, has a backpack, walking shoes and the overwhelming desire to commune with nature. Except that what others do for a few hours or a few days, he will do for more than three months. And who knows if, without a gigantic tile encountered after a hundred days, he would not have extended the experience for several years.

Writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer has traced in a book the trajectory of McCandless, a young man promised a brilliant career in the world of capitalism but who rears up in extremis and decides to burn his identity papers to go and live in utter destitution (translation: a carcass of a bus in the middle of Alaska). Filmed by Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch perfectly embodies this idealistic, courageous young man, anxious to get back to basics… but probably not prepared enough.

Fifteen years after the release of the film, we allow ourselves to spoiler the end: because he confuses two plants in his botanical guide, McCandless poisons himself by eating toxic seeds and his journey ends in sadness and pain. Proof that it is better not to rely too much on nature’s help for sustenance, unless you have acquired a sufficient degree of expertise. For afternoon tea, bringing your own packet of cakes is less noble and ecological, but it avoids ending your life prematurely, at the age of 24 and a half.

“Antoinette in the Cévennes”: prepare well

After an anthological scene of a school party (in which she interprets “in love” of Véronique Sanson with the children of whom she is the teacher), Antoinette decides to go hiking in the Cévennes for the summer holidays. Like that, on a whim. Or almost: mad about a parent of a student with whom she has a fiery relationship but who does not seem resolved to leave his wife for her, she decides to follow him. Quite simply.

The problem is that the man in question does not leave to bask in the pill at the beach. Between the south of the Massif Central and the deep Cévennes, he prepares to walk with his wife and child the path of Stevenson, named after the author of The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hydewho made this journey in 1879 and drew the aptly titled Travel with a donkey in the Cévennes. Antoinette thus finds herself on the path with her unsuitable shoes and a donkey named Patrick, who turns out to be more capricious than he had been told.

The distress is absolute: Antoinette feels alone, the walk is going badly and the guy she’s chasing clearly doesn’t deserve her. Why put yourself in such trouble, risk breaking an ankle and ruining your summer, to follow someone? Don’t follow people, it’s bad, put on good shoes, it’s important, and only go for a walk if you feel that it could potentially do you good.

The balance sheet ofAntoinette in the Cevennes will not be so negative for its heroine, because it is cinema. The rest of the time, a hike that you don’t want to do and for which you are not prepared is unlikely to end in a positive way.

“Fatal Getaway”: Avoid Bad Encounters

This is the story of a honeymoon that does not go as planned. In this film available on Netflix (but first released on VOD in 2016 under the title A Perfect Getaway), a couple played by Steve Zahn (yes, you know him) and Milla Jovovich leaves to criss-cross the Hawaiian beaches to celebrate her union. And meets another couple, then another, before the first press articles fall: two newlyweds have been murdered not far from there and their killer(s) are still on the run.

The hike, the bivouac, all of this is very pleasant when you are thirsty for adventure, as is apparently the case with the characters in the film by David Twohy (co-screenwriter of the Fugitive version Harrison Ford and creator of the character of Riddick, played by Vin Diesel in Pitch Black and its sequels). Except that the pleasure quickly gives way to goosebumps: there is every reason to think that the culprits are part of this handful of American tourists.

First conclusion: if you really want to celebrate your brand new love and your recent marriage, why start by making friends with visibly talkative and annoying strangers? Second conclusion: we miss thrillers with final twists, and even if the one ofFatal getaway is to say the least exploded on the ground, it is almost a pleasure to see so much this kind of jubilant rebound is now rare.

“Old Joy”: choosing the right person

This is not his first work (there was previously the unpublished River of Grassdating from 1994 and briefly released in theaters in 2019), but Old Joy is clearly the film that made Kelly Reichardt known, an oh so precious filmmaker who still remains relatively confidential today. She has, however, turned such famous interpreters of Michelle Williams (Wendy & Lucy), Jesse Eisenberg (Night Moves) or, last but not leastKristen Stewart (Some women).

Old Joy, it’s just the story of two long-time friends (can we call them “friends”?) who go on a weekend adventure together. Walking and sitting by the fireside, they share their increasingly divergent visions of life together since one turned to a so-called adult life (couple, child to come) while that the other has remained in the world of dreams and innocence – which is perfectly his right.

Their physical proximity is only matched by their spiritual distance, which is heartbreaking. This does not, however, prevent Old Joy to be a soft, sensitive and often soothing film. Because when they are not hiking, the two men played by Daniel London and folk singer Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Billy) take advantage of nature and the ambient air.

Best moment: when they immerse themselves in steaming water, in the middle of the woods, for a thermal bath that is as invigorating for the body as for the spirit. Each of these two was perhaps not the sidekick the other dreamed of to live such a moment, but that fortunately does not alter the grace of this shared experience.

Five films to see to (well) think before going on a hike