Captain Fantastic

Thematically similar to Wild and Into The Wild, i.e. an individual with different views, attitudes and philosophy of life, going against the established practices and standards of modern society. It's a bit of an agitprop for organic life, a bit of a tribute to the hippies and a bit of a backwoods romp. Most of all, though, it's a surprisingly functional family drama about unconventional family practices and a different approach to life that's very raw in some scenes while brilliantly contrasting the typically capitalist mannerisms of the contemporary bourgeoisie, a superbly typecast American middle class, and a family of pragmatic, penniless scrappers living in the woods who are seemingly depraved in every way, but not really. The greatest virtue is that the director manages to put all these typologically selected life practices into one plane and extracts the positives and negatives from both in equal measure. So, in the end, the viewer is served with a plethora of consistent, very interesting opinions and scenes that are entertaining in their inner charge, thought-provoking message, and are healthily spiced with great acting performances. Thankfully it clearly doesn't side with nature, whereas the older brothers have it in their name and it's clear what it looks like afterwards. Mortensen and co are nuts, but they have brains, they know why they're doing it and you root for them. (12/15/2016)

This typical “Sundance movie” is a feel-good tragicomedy with a nice soundtrack, eccentric but likeable characters and a predictable ending. The raw opening scene depicting the first of a series of rituals aimed at preparing Bodevan for his entry into adulthood gives the viewer hope that Captain Fantastic will be more truthful than ingratiating, while not offering any wonderfully easy solutions to complex problems. But from a celebration of life outside of the system that strips people of their individuality, the film soon collapses into a hackneyed story about the necessity of socialisation and respect for social conventions. The characters may not be willing to accept the norms of the world that they have scorned for so long without question, but their transformation is still tied to their subordination to the dominant ideology. Though the director sensitively spreads the attention among all of the members of the family, led by Mortensen’s practically perfect protagonist (whose mythologisation, already evident in the film’s title, is not problematised by Ross), he cannot disguise the fact that his characters serve mainly as walking arguments in support of the conservative idea of the importance of a happy family. Thanks to its pleasing shot compositions, slightly cynical humour, reasonable amount of pathos and well-timed use of upbeat music, the film evokes the intended emotions, but these quickly fade, because Captain Fantastic is not built on a convincing foundation. We can believe neither in the characters, who too easily give up everything they have fought so long and hard for, nor, because of that, in the would-be non-conformist, anti-consumerist message. 70% (08/03/2016)

Captain Fantastic stands for values ​​that almost directly contradict my own worldview. It might seem that a movie full of extreme left-wing pathos aimed at the evil capitalism would warrant a below-average rating from me. But, in fact, I enjoyed those two hours a lot. At first glance, this may seem like a prayer for the destruction of the current rotten system and the return of power to the people through class struggle. On closer inspection, it is actually a feel-good movie that is not afraid to show the bad aspects of both systems. Logically, it's more about ecological propaganda than the inability to socially interact in a better way. I really enjoyed the great performance of Viggo Mortensen who simply radiates charisma, and when I look back at how few movies he has been in over the last 10 years, I really think he deserves an Oscar for this one. (02/08/2017)

In the beginning, it seemed like a movie about a cult, which made me so annoyed that I almost quit watching. Then it occurred to me that the film might be about the Kelly Family and I hung in there out of curiosity. Surprisingly, after a while, the whole family went to a funeral on a bus accompanied by the sound of Scotland the Brave, so I figured it probably wasn't about the American-Irish band. I was amazed how intrigued and entertained I was by a story about a clash of two life philosophies. I just didn’t take away any moral lessons. But that's just me, I’m a cynic. A side effect of the film is that I’ll be suspiciously looking around when walking down the street to see if there isn’t a radical socialist behind me who’s out to get me. (11/16/2016)

A unique example of a film that impresses me and pisses me off in a single minute, but it's hard to resist the fact that acting and directing sometimes dragged me to the side of this Platonic idealism mixed with peppery ideological goulash. Manipulative yes, clueless at the end, but at the level of the intimate story of a tyrannical father and emancipating children, but the film is not far from the much purer and simpler magic of Fierce Creatures. Mortensen? This guy is not in the top league. He established his own a long time ago. He carries the film to a large extent despite all the considerable problems. An inspiring mix of resistance and sympathy. [75%] (07/23/2016)