But when Ben learns that his wife has committed suicide, the Cash clan are forced to reconnect with mainstream society so they can attend her funeral.Īt this point, Captain Fantastic becomes a unique fusion of road movie, culture-clash comedy and redemption story. In the first scene, eldest son Bodevan (talented young Brit George MacKay) kills a wild deer before his sisters gut and bone the animal for dinner. Home-schooled and trained by Ben to fend for themselves, these kids are smart, strong and skilled.
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For several years Ben ( Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen) has been raising his six children almost completely off the grid on a self-made campsite in an isolated patch of Pacific Northwest forest. Writer-director Matt Ross (also an actor, who plays Gavin Belson in HBO’s Silicon Valley) introduces us to Ben Cash and his family as they enter a crisis. When this surprising two-hour drama was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it reportedly received a 10-minute standing ovation from the famously tricky crowd.
Captain Fantastic takes a piece out of you.Captain Fantastic may sound like a lame superhero flick named by a bored and tired director, but it’s actually the sort of offbeat but feelgood indie film that could become a sleeper hit. The film doesn’t take sides, but it does fairly, subtly and movingly represent them.
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He gets under the skin of this loving father who is unafraid to face the world naked and yet touchingly ready to grapple by the possibility that his arrogant, free spirit might actually do harm to his children. And Mortensen is just magnificent: His performance standing with his career-best work in The Lord of the Rings, A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Langella is stellar at finding layers in the role of the strict father. MacKay, as the son who dreams of college and discovery, has a first-kiss moment that explodes stereotype. Still, it’s the actors who make us believe. The film’s authenticity extends to the natural-light cinematography of the gifted Stéphane Fontaine ( A Prophet) and the crisp editing of Joseph Krings ( Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead). But Ross never trades in the humanity of his characters for an easy laugh or tear. It’s true that the conflict is drawn on familiar lines with clichés ever ready to invade. They’ve educated their kids in the arts, practical and intellectual readings range from quantum theory to Lolita, with nights by the campfire spent making music with guitars and harmonicas. Besides Bodevan, there are sons Nai (Charlie Shotwell) and Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton), along with teen daughters Zaja (Shree Crooks), Kielyr (Samantha Isler) and Vespyr (Annalise Basso). Ben and his wife Leslie (Trin Miller) have blessed - or burdened - their children with made-up names. In the opening scene, Ben initiates his eldest son, Bodevan (British actor George MacKay), into the ritual of the hunt and other survivalist skills. Mortensen stars as Ben, the rugged individualist who raises his brood of six in the Pacific Northwest far from the concrete jungles of civilization. Written and directed with scrappy grace by Matt Ross (an actor best known for playing vengeful CEO Gavin Belson of HBO’s Silicon Valley), Captain Fantastic takes turns you don’t see coming. Viggo Mortensen is at the top of his game in this family dramedy, shot through with humor and heart.