From self-defense training,
to celebrating Nom Chomsky day, Captain Fantastic encourages and invites
the audience to become a part of the Cash’s unique lifestyle. This film is
simply incredible. It challenges the audiences’ previous notions of society and
what “normal” is. Watching Captain Fantastic will leave you wanting more
of the unusual and fantastic Cash family.
Ben Cash, the father, is a
particularly fantastic character in this film. He is seen as what, in today’s
world, is challenging the “normal society.” He, along with many other iconic
movie characters, can be seen both as a villain and a hero. While watching this
film, I found myself questioning many times whether this man was a child
abuser, or a genius. Ben Cash changed my perception of right and wrong. If he
was a villain, then he had me rooting against the “good” guy, his
father-in-law. This films’ ability to take a typical structure of a film and
break it is nothing short of great.
Captain Fantastic has a very interesting representation of women. The first women
we see are Ben’s three daughters. They are, in the first scene, almost
indistinguishable from the men of the group. All of Ben’s children are treated
equally. We see this theme throughout the film. The daughters have the exact
same training and educational standards as their brothers. A little later in
the film we learn that the mother has killed herself. This briefly shows women
as weak and selfish. However, the daughters continue to prevail and amaze. The youngest
daughter, Zaja, proves to be one of Ben’s most intelligent children. One of
Ben’s daughters, not sons, performs “Mission Rescue Prisoner.” In fact, the
only two characters that ever question their father are two of his sons. The
women in this film are strong, smart, and loyal. This film does a great job of
not undermining women in a man’s world.
Captain Fantastic very seamlessly and very
smoothly tells the tale of how traditional ways of handling life, love, and
family are dying out. We see this with the Ben’s father-in-law, the Bodevan,
and Ben. The father believes teaching his children how to navigate by the stars
and hunt for ones food is not only useful things to learn, but they are
necessary as well. Todays society, ours as well as the diegetic, have proven
these skills useless. There was once a time that one could not live without this
knowledge, now they are seen as abnormal.
Ben’s father-in-law refuses
to respect his daughter’s will and testament. This is another representation of
how things are changing and the world around us is simply accepting these
changes. The eldest son, Bodevan, declares his love for a stranger. To him,
this love is clear and fast. In a “normal” society, a love must be set through
a series of tests and time to know if it will last.
Even though Ben believes he
is not wrong in the way he is raising his children, the film does have him
change his ways at the end. He does not completely give up his lifestyle, but
he does integrate regular society into it. This was an extremely fitting
ending. During the entire film, everyone around him is trying to get Ben to
change his ways and “save” his family. Throughout the film, it does not seem to
bother him. Only when he looses the one thing he is trying to keep together,
his family, does he consider what he is doing. When he shaves his beard off, he
is accepting that change needs to happen. Even when he regains his children, he
sticks to the plan for change.
Captain Fantastic has many wonderful and
entertaining lessons. The film is extremely well done and thought out. Matt
Ross very easily and very quickly transforms you into the Cash’s world with a
simple bite out a deer’s heart. By the
end of the film, you can very easily relate to any one of the Cash family
members and the struggles they all overcome. Captain Fantastic is sure
to leave you entertained, amazed, and very satisfied.
Writer: Matt
Ross
Director: Matt
Ross
Producer: Monica
Levinson, Jamie Patricof, Shivani Rawat, and Lynette Howell
Main Cast: Viggo
Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton,
Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell
Running Time: 1
hour 58 minutes
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