In honor of Earth Day (April 22), we screen this film about a young man who abandons everything to hitchhike across America to live in the Alaskan wilderness.

Sean Penn directed and wrote the screenplay based on Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction book. Flagstaff Native and Grand Canyon boatman, Brian Dierker, a river guide for many local productions, was given a major supporting role by director Penn. Roger Ebert called the film “spellbinding,” and Matthew Lucas wrote, “A masterpiece; a rapturous, quintessential American odyssey…”