Captain
Fantastic has a name that probably won’t attract you to give this movie a
shot, but please do. The movie is a dramatic portrayal of a single dad trying
to raise the best children he can, with the fear that they’ll never be prepared
enough for what’s out there.
The movie plays
on your emotions, with many sentimental moments tied together to make you go
“aww.” Regardless, the movie’s dramatic showcase is entertaining and thrilling
as we see the struggles a father faces raising his six children away from
civilization. He homeschools them to a higher standard than their peers,
teaching them survival skills and hand-to-hand combat.
His children can hunt, cook, and survive in the woods by themselves.
Viggo
Mortensen’s performance as a father of six reminds me of Captain von Trapp in
the musical classic The Sound of Music, where Christopher Plummer, who
plays the Captain, tries to raise his kids the best way he knows how. Ben
(Viggo Mortensen) also attempts to make the best out of his kids the best way
he knows how.
The smaller
children’s acting performances are to die for. Not taking anything away from
Viggo—his performance is memorable—but the child actors left a mark. I looked
forward to seeing them, as they made me wish my children could be as strong and
courageous as these little ones.
The movie did
very well at different film festivals, winning awards, with Matt Ross winning a
directorial award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The movie
introduces us to Ben (Viggo Mortensen) and his family as they celebrate his
eldest son’s passage to manhood. We see him and his family hunt and cook what
they’ve killed as they live together in the woods. Sad news hits them when
their mother (Ben’s wife) kills herself. She had a mental illness and was in a
psychiatric hospital.
Ben’s manner of
raising his children involves telling them the truth and not being afraid to
let them speak their minds or even curse.
Ben contacts his
wife’s father for her body so he can cremate her according to her wishes, but
Jack (the wife’s father) kicks against the idea, blaming Ben for her death and
promising to have him arrested if he shows up for the funeral. Ben and his
children crash the funeral, and those actions—along with further actions—will
likely lead to him losing his beloved children.
The movie had a very fun and welcome twist at the end.
0 comments:
Post a Comment