Captain Fantastic

2016's "Captain Fantastic", written and directed by Frank Ross.

Starring Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell, and Frank Langella.

I think we all have felt like Thoreau's “Walden” series, where we seek to get away from the madness of society and it's unjust laws and taxes- "to front only the essential facts of life." Viggo Mortensen's character lives in the forest with his 5 children, and seeks to emulate Thoreau’s ethos. They hunt, create and preserve virtually everything, and read voraciously. Their self imposed exodus from society conceals the fact that they have an ailing matriarch, staying in a psychiatric institution, who shortly into the movie takes her own life. Despite instructions from the bereaved maternal grandparents to not come to the funeral, they all cram onto a bus and attempt to do just that.

As we meet the family, we see that Mortensen knows what he is protecting his kids from, as he goes about spurning modern society and celebrating political science icons such as Noam Chomsky- but do the children? Having never actually gone to school, just how will they react when socializing with other kids? When the children inevitably find themselves in suburbia, boundaries are tested (often to humorous results) and child abuse themes are raised. “CF” treads these themes, but doesn’t always satisfy them. Mortensen is perfectly cast in the role of the rogue contrarian who isn’t immune to self deprecation, and overall this is a very enjoyable journey. With a great score by Alex Somers (obviously dating a Sigur Ros band member), it communicates that despite all the hippy earthiness, at times it can really fly.

3.5/5

Trailer: Click Here.