Review of Captain Fantastic (2016) by Dana F — 10 Jul 2017

I don't know about the Captain, but his kids are pretty fantastic. This is a simple little film that is more than meets the eye, and certainly smarter than your average bear. The story is about a bohemian/survivalist guy raising his pack of kids almost totally off the grid, and doing one hell of a job at it.

These kids are capable of debating the finer points of Trotskyism and slicing your jugular with equal skill and flair. This clan is totally bizarre and at first is easily dismissed as a bunch of nutty hippies, maybe even cult-ish.

But as the film progresses, you start to question who is 'right' in how they live their lives. He teaches his children with a disarming candor that is comedic, refreshing, and disturbing at the same time.

His bluntness makes the viewer painfully aware of how it's not only normal, but expected to lie or withhold the truth from others... particularly our children, all in the name of social propriety.

On the other side of the argument, though his kids are fiercely intelligent and capable, they are completely inept at dealing with modern society at large, or anyone in it. This film has a lot to say about American values and society, but is never judgmental, preachy or manipulative.

It just presents both the merits and dangers of conformity in the context of the story and lets the viewer come to his/her own conclusion. The story is intelligent and well-written, and has more layers and goes in different directions than you'd expect.

The acting is also great by all parties, and Viggo Mortensen nails it as the paterfamilias (I don't know that his performance is worthy of the Best Actor nod he received, but he's very good). The direction also adds to the themes, giving the scenes in the 'natural' environment a documentary vibe by shooting with a handheld camera, and contrasting that by using a steadicam to film the 'normal' commercial world, which emphasizes its artificiality.

There is lots of food for thought here, but there is also enough humor to lighten up the sometimes somber subject matter, and a heaping ton of heart. If nothing else, it will challenge your ideas about parenting.

It's not the best movie I've ever seen, or even one of the best, but it definitely makes you think.