Gary Paulsen’s young adult novel Hatchet (1987) was adapted into the survival adventure movie A Cry in the Wild directed by Mark Griffiths, offering some quality entertainment for a family viewing.
In A Cry in the Wild, Brian Robeson (Jared Rushton) is a teenage boy living with his divorced mother (Pamela Sue Martin) who buys him a hatchet as a gift to carry as he is about to set out for a trip to the Canadian wild. Brian survives a plane crash that kills the pilot and leaves him stranded by a lake surrounded by mountains. Alone and without food or shelter, Brian is left to count on his mother’s gift for survival and safety – the hatchet – against harsh weather and potentially dangerous beasts.
A Cry in the Wild is one of the many survival drama films that relive Dafoe’s classic adventure tale Robinson Crusoe. The teen character here is going through an internal conflict that he needs to overcome for his peace of mind. The reason for his parents’ divorce plays as flashbacks in his haunting dreams. The challenge to survive in the wild parallels his inner battle and ultimately works for him in adjusting to changed realities. Both for its adventure in the wild and coming of age drama, it makes a good family film.
As a note on the depiction of scenes involving animals, the movie runs the statement that no animals were harmed in the production of this movie.
