So far, so Utopian, but the absence of Ben’s wife is felt, and once Ben learns what happened to her we begin to see the flaws in his idealistic approach to parenthood. They are even, all of them, musicians one early scene shows them playing music together by the campfire at night.Īs well as this, and thanks to Ben’s rigorous training regime, they are also athletes climbing rock faces in the rain, sprinting through the forest, and learning how to kill someone with a hunting knife. Only Stalinists call them Trotskyites!”), and have frank discussions about sex and gender roles. By and large he is successful in this, as early scenes show his children reading advanced books such as The Brothers Karamazov, Middlemarch, and Lolita they have honest discourse about politics to an advanced degree for children their age (“It’s not Trotskyite, it’s Trotskyist. He’s raising his children in the forest to save them from the evils of American capitalism and to teach them how to think for themselves. The older man is Ben Cash, patriarch of the Cash family. Soon after, we see an older man join him, who uses the blood of the deer to paint the younger’s face, and then proclaim ‘today the boy is dead. This scene is interrupted by a young man who appears from a bush, clad in black paint, and then proceeds to brutally kill a deer which had been grazing nearby. We start in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, with breathtaking nature and beauty running waterfalls, sun-dappled leaves, and wildlife. Luckily, Matt Ross‘ sophomore effort Captain Fantastic, following 2012’s 28 Hotel Rooms, will have few critics drawing knives, and anyone eagerly searching for an antithesis to the recent barrage of superhero blockbusters in cinemas will be satisfied, if not delighted, when the credits roll. Firstly, in this age of Marvel’s silver screen domination and DC’s valiant attempts to catch up, it would be understandable for any jaded cinema-goer to skip this one, expecting another facile, spandex-clad superhero epic secondly, if it fails the headlines write themselves, and every movie critic worth their salt would crowbar in a reference to the irony of the film’s title. If anything, this film dances around that subject a bit, instead of hitting it head on.To title your film with the superlative ‘Fantastic’ is playing with fire. MICHELLE: I hate the way people seem so ready to criticize the parenting of others and that anything “different” is perceived as wrong. In a way, their father’s need to protect his children from modern life is just as crippling as a parent who wants to protect their child from any hint of failure. Compared to their cousins, raised by helicopter parents, these kids are better educated, better at taking care of themselves, but not suited for living in the “real world” should that be something they want. But the plan to keep them in “normal civilization” doesn’t sit well with the kids, who are clearly able to think for themselves.ĪLLEN: I think the film is a commentary on modern “over-protective” parenting. The oldest boy wants to go to college and has gotten into some wonderful schools. MICHELLE: When they have no other choice, they check in with relatives, who want the children to stay with them. He has no problem presenting a 5-year-old with a large hunting knife as a gift. He actively encourages the children to get themselves into and out of dangerous situations. 1 concern and he loves them, but that doesn’t mean he is over-protective. This is a father that feels the world we have created has nothing to offer his children. This is a family that celebrates “Noam Chomsky Day” instead of Christmas. We had planned to get-away from politics for a week, but as it turns out, the father’s motivation for getting his family away from “normal” society is very political. This is sort of the idealized version of that. His children are in excellent physical condition, seem very well-educated and to genuinely enjoy their life, even though it’s different.ĪLLEN: One of my guilty pleasures has been the show “Alaskan Bush People” about a family living off the grid in Alaska. He’s a single parent when we meet him and a pretty strict guy. MICHELLE: Viggo Mortensen stars as a man who has been raising his family “off the grid” in the Pacific Northwest. “Captain Fantastic” tells the story of an unusual family dealing with tragedy in a unique manor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |