Today’s reviews are movies about cross-roads, memories and change, using parallel timelines to communicate difference across eras. 2014’s Wild depicts Cheryl Strayed’s 1,100 mile hike up the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to the Bridge of the Gods in Oregon. The journey isn’t just about the physical journey, but about Strayed’s return to her self from the depths of being lost to a place where she can remember her good self.

Wild is a one-character show, focusing on Cheryl Strayed in every scene across multiple eras. As Strayed walks her path, she remembers her past, the good and the bad, in non-linear, hazy, half-fumbled balls of Brakhage-esque memory echoing down the corridor. Alternately, she’s a daughter, a wife, clinically depressed, a drug addict, a sex addict, and a broken woman. But, Strayed is the only one who can fix herself, and has to find her own way back to healthy.

That’s a meaty and complicated role for anybody. Reese Witherspoon, who also produced Wild, turns in her most powerful and honest performance since Walk the Line. In a movie where we can’t escape Strayed’s perspective, the movie hinges on Witherspoon being able to disappear into the role and become Cheryl Strayed, not Reese Witherspoon playing Cheryl Strayed. Largely, she succeeds, able to find emotional truth and depth in a role that could be saddled with ham.

Though Wild‘s somewhat free-form structure, fluidly flowing in and out of time and memory, isn’t new, it’s still a bold choice. Jean-Marc Valée and Nick Hornby create symbols and thematic resonance out of situational juxtaposition, and parallels across time and space. Though they occasionally cross the line into heavy-handed, the recurring motifs bring a refreshing coherency to a film that could have been out of control. Though there is a lot of weight in Wild, it still can be a bit of fun.

Wild airs on HBO2 at 12:15pm.