Certification. 15
Director. Matt Ross
Cast. Annalise Basso, Kathryn Hahn, Frank Langella, George MacKay, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Zahn.
Rating. 73%
For several years, Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has been raising his six children off the grid in a remote part of the Pacific Northwest Forest. However, a tragic event ultimately forces the family to reluctantly reconnect with estranged relatives and mainstream society.
The 2016 film, Captain Fantastic is directed by actor and director Matt Ross, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Luis Carruthers, the closeted gay boyfriend of Courtney Lawrence (Samantha Mathis) in Mary Harron's American Psycho (2000).
Viggo Mortensen is terrific in the lead role of the family's determined patriarch. An intriguingly complex character - intelligent, driven, and clearly devoted to his family, but despite the eponymous hero of the piece, a little bit too proud and prickly to be completely likeable.
The children are equally impressive, although despite a run time of almost two hours not everyone receives equal screen time. Some of the younger cast members seem more like works in progress than fully-fledged characters. Home-schooled - apparently by the flames of a campfire - these children are smart, intelligent and eloquent. "We're in the unique position of hating those people," declares Vespyr (an angelic Annalise Basso), alongside the youngest member of the Cash clan, Nai who has a fondness for proclaiming "Fascist capitalist", particularly in reference to his grandparents. But nobody stands out more than the oldest child, portrayed by a pre-1917 George MacKay, his character, Bodevan is a combination of naive awkwardness and wide-eyed lunacy.
Matt Ross demonstrates a masterful use of incidental music from composer Alex Somers, as well as pre-existing material in Captain Fantastic. The film's trailer features Phosphorescent's Song for Zula and Jeremy Messersmith's Ghost - but sadly neither of these tracks appear in the film itself. Sigur Rós' mournful Varðeldur is used, however, and like much of the Icelandic's band's discography, there's a cinematographic weight to the track. But perhaps the most beautiful of all is the cast's uplifting and endearing version of Guns n' Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine.
Captain Fantastic is undoubtedly a greater film than the premise would have you believe. It is an examination of parental beliefs and the relationship between family and social pressures, but above all, an offbeat, heartwarming, feel-good drama.
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