Watched Into the Wild today. There's a moment near the end - around the 1:46 mark.
The film lays down a Tolstoy quote over quiet visuals, and then Eddie Vedder's voice comes in. The two together hit differently than either would alone.
The quote is from Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy:
"I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them. And work which one hopes may be of some use. Then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor. Such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children perhaps. What more can the heart of a man desire?"
Then the song begins.
Sure as I'm breathing, sure as I'm sad
I'll keep this wisdom in my flesh
I leave here believing more than I had
This love has got no ceiling
The film shows handwritten text on screen, like someone scrawling into a journal. "I now walk into the wild." Something about seeing it written that way, raw and unpolished, made it feel more real than any line of dialogue could.
The whole film is quietly dramatic. It doesn't try to tell you how to feel - it just shows you a life, and you feel it anyway.
If you ever feel like getting lost into the wild. You should watch it.
I want to come back to this - watch it again, let the song play.