Captain Fantastic (2016)

"Happy Noam Chomsky day!" -Ben Cash
"I said no more esperonto!" -Ben Cash

I loved this movie. It was weird. It was insightful. Messy, direct, utopian, barbaric. It was joyful. And it was sad. I won't go so far as to say Captain Fantastic is a classic, but I foresee it becoming a midnight movie in the future.  I suggest going out of your way for Captain Fantastic, but if it just happens across you screen, stop and enjoy.   Don't be fooled by its mirth. There is a darkness beneath that makes it both beautiful and ugly.

The major question I had about Captain Fantastic both during and after is: "How far is too far?"  When does distance from the herd come at a cost that is too great? Societies (as a general concept) exist because of the diminishing returns of self-reliance and the comfort we experience in being part of a whole; yet we (some/all) seek to be free of these shackles. Why? Is it just our nature? Case in point from the film: one of the children gets hurt rock climbing. The father's response is -"There's no cavalry. No one will magically appear and save you in the end." -A retort of that there is no safety net. There is no society. There is nothing but you. Is this appropriate? Too far? Not far enough? Is it cruel or kind? I honestly don't know. What I have to imagine is that these children have heard these kinds of lessons their whole lives. In my mind, repetition is behavioral/mental training. Is this righteous parenting/molding or abuse? For the purposes of the movie, I appreciate this chance to explore the ambiguity.

A secondary topic that came to mind from Captain Fantastic was: "What are results? -in terms of education, and humans. Ben Cash puts forth his answer with a series of questions to his nephews and his 8 year old. From his perspective, his little one trounces her much older cousins -who sound like gibbering baboons. Game, Set, Match. Yet,  his oldest son screams that he knows nothing and that it is Ben's fault. He feels damaged by the process of his childhood, a process that got him accepted into Harvard, Yale, etc.  Are results worth it? Who set the standards of judgement and metrics? Do the results justify the means? We, the viewer, are looking at the cost and glory of myopic results obsession played out on the psyches of children. It's both beautiful and grotesque.

Obviously, if these were the only parts of Captain Fantastic, it would be a slog. So, I tip my cap to the actors and the director, Matt Ross, for bringing enough love into the film so as to carry the day. I even appreciated the use of the book Lolita as a startling juxtaposition to what is on screen. We empathise. We understand. We reject it. We love it, and we hate it.  All at once.

I end now with small quip, I really disliked the use of "Sweet Child of Mine" at the funeral fire. Something about that choice is just wrong.

On a scale of scattered ashes on The Dude to ashes down the toilet at the airport, I give Captain Fantastic 4.15 out of 5 stars.

*I usually don't put much stock in or care about The Oscars..but Viggo Mortensen really is worthy of a Best Actor nod.  I hope he wins.* #ViggoFTW