This was a beautiful movie. I was amazed that, contrary to reviews I’d read and heard, I ended up really disliking the subject. He misinterpreted so much great reading! But watching someone make these mistakes and seeing the grief of family and friends really hit a nerve and turned this movie into something much deeper than what I had expected (and, yes, I did expect the final outcome, I had just expected to agree more with the young man’s decisions).

My main problem with this movie is probably a plus for many: I was taken out of it every time Eddie Vedder sang. His voice is too iconic for a movie of this depth. I wanted to lose myself in the landscape and the problems of this youth, instead I kept being reminded of my own adolescence and high school dances.