The first scene of this movie gives some idea of what to expect. Injured from walking with boots that are too small for her, Cheryl pulls off her shoes and socks, removes a bloody toenail, then one of her shoes falls down the cliff. Suddenly she has flashbacks to various tragedies in her life, and drops many F-bombs, before throwing her other shoe down the mountain to join it.
Yes, this is a Road Trip Plot involving someone whose past is filled with personal tragedy. Over time, thanks to flashbacks gradually fleshing things out, you learn more about Cheryl, why her past life sucks, and how she's trying to reinvent herself through a Journey of Self Discovery.
Along the trail, Cheryl does meet the occasional other person, almost always male. And it feels at times like a crapshoot whether or not she should trust them. One man who she assumes is dangerous turns out to be harmless. Another group of men scare her so much she runs away from them.
Cheryl starts out somewhat clueless and making major mistakes, some of which could have cost her life, but from time to time, she gets help from other friendly people, in the form of both advice, and sometimes physical goods. This earns her a nickname, "Queen of the PCT". The man who gives her that nickname notes that nobody seems to try to help his group.
Some of the people Cheryl meets give a variety of responses to her trip, from a conservative farmer who says that he thinks it's fine for a man to hike 1100 miles but insane for a woman to do so, to an eccentric news reporter for The Hobo Times (yes, it's real) who thinks she's a hobo and excitedly says "I love feminists!" in response to her telling him she's one after he asks.
But the movie isn't only about the hiking. Flashbacks are frequent, and we learn a lot about Cheryl's tragic past. What happened? Well, this movie is rated R, and not just because Cheryl (and at one point, the onscreen text) are fans of the F bomb. Familial death, parental abuse, drug use, and casual sex (those last two being both reactions to, and causes of, tragedy) mark Cheryl's past, and at times, she breaks down emotionally when remembering these things.
It was a pretty interesting movie. The adventurous journey and a lot of great scenery were my biggest appeals.
Film A Road Trip Plot minus the car
The first scene of this movie gives some idea of what to expect. Injured from walking with boots that are too small for her, Cheryl pulls off her shoes and socks, removes a bloody toenail, then one of her shoes falls down the cliff. Suddenly she has flashbacks to various tragedies in her life, and drops many F-bombs, before throwing her other shoe down the mountain to join it.
Yes, this is a Road Trip Plot involving someone whose past is filled with personal tragedy. Over time, thanks to flashbacks gradually fleshing things out, you learn more about Cheryl, why her past life sucks, and how she's trying to reinvent herself through a Journey of Self Discovery.
Along the trail, Cheryl does meet the occasional other person, almost always male. And it feels at times like a crapshoot whether or not she should trust them. One man who she assumes is dangerous turns out to be harmless. Another group of men scare her so much she runs away from them.
Cheryl starts out somewhat clueless and making major mistakes, some of which could have cost her life, but from time to time, she gets help from other friendly people, in the form of both advice, and sometimes physical goods. This earns her a nickname, "Queen of the PCT". The man who gives her that nickname notes that nobody seems to try to help his group.
Some of the people Cheryl meets give a variety of responses to her trip, from a conservative farmer who says that he thinks it's fine for a man to hike 1100 miles but insane for a woman to do so, to an eccentric news reporter for The Hobo Times (yes, it's real) who thinks she's a hobo and excitedly says "I love feminists!" in response to her telling him she's one after he asks.
But the movie isn't only about the hiking. Flashbacks are frequent, and we learn a lot about Cheryl's tragic past. What happened? Well, this movie is rated R, and not just because Cheryl (and at one point, the onscreen text) are fans of the F bomb. Familial death, parental abuse, drug use, and casual sex (those last two being both reactions to, and causes of, tragedy) mark Cheryl's past, and at times, she breaks down emotionally when remembering these things.
It was a pretty interesting movie. The adventurous journey and a lot of great scenery were my biggest appeals.