Captain Fantastic (2016)
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A family of survivalist activists must navigate the complexities of modern society after the death of the mother.
The story
Ben Cash, his wife Leslie, and their six children live an isolated existence on ten acres in the mountainous Washington wilderness. They are left-wing anarchist activists disillusioned by capitalism and American life, who choose to instill survivalist skills, left-wing politics and philosophy into their children. The children are encouraged to develop critical-thinking skills and physical fitness, and are taught self-reliance with limited reliance on modern technology. However, their limited interaction with the outside world contributes to difficulties in socializing with people beyond their immediate family. Following the death of Leslie, Ben is forced to navigate the complexities of the outside world while trying to maintain his children's way of life.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ben Cash, his wife Leslie, and their six children live an isolated existence in the Washington wilderness as anarchist activists. After Leslie dies by suicide, Ben is forced to confront the outside world, including her wealthy, elitist parents. He takes his children on a journey across the country in a school bus to attend her funeral. During the journey, the children begin to question Ben's parenting and his ability to protect them from the influence of the outside world. After a series of conflicts with Leslie's father, Jack, and a period of separation where the children are left in Jack's care, the children choose to stay with Ben. They eventually reunite and perform a ceremony to honor Leslie's final wishes, including a ritual to burn her body and a final act of defiance against her family's demands. The film ends with the children and Ben preparing for the school bus, continuing their life together.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Matt Ross
- Writers
- Matt Ross · writer
- Cast and characters
- Viggo Mortensen · Ben Cash; Frank Langella · Jack Bertrang; Kathryn Hahn · Leslie; Steve Zahn · Harper
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- anarchism; parenting; isolation; capitalism vs. nature
- Tone and mood
- thought-provoking; serious
- Premise and plot tags
- survivalist; off-the-grid; family drama
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Viggo Mortensen's performance and the film's thought-provoking themes. It received a ten-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · scale: percentage · review count: 228; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- The film was selected as one of the top ten independent films of 2016 by the National Board of Review.; The film was conceived by Matt Ross as he questioned his own choices as a parent.; The film was shot in Western Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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