TO DO: Captain Fantastic Film Review
I recently had the pleasure of attending a screening of Viggo Mortenson's new film, Captain Fantastic, followed by a Q&A with the man himself.
An independent film, the plot revolves around a survivalist family who live in the woods, forced to deal with the outside world following a tragedy.
On paper, had I read about Captain Fantastic, I'm not sure I would've thought of it as "my thing". But I would've been missing out on something magical.
From it's gritty opening scene, the movie reels you in and never lets you go. The narrative is woven in a beautiful, poignant and sometimes terrifying way.
This is a film that makes you thing; considerately, consciously, collectively. Themes of protection abound over the two hours - using the model of three different family types (the father, his sister, grandparents) to force us to question our attitudes towards how we protect the young and which way is best.
The complications of different choices are laid bare in a brilliant scene involving high-school adolescents, brought up the traditional way, and a young child who's life everyday demands high survival, being asked about the Bill of Rights (fun fact - also Viggo Mortenson's favourite scene, as he told us at the Q&A after the film).
Moretenson's parental style rejects convention and instead, forces his children - and us the audience - to question our society and values; especially what we deem is "safe" to expose our children too. What poses the greater danger to a young person - hanging off a cliff face or complete detachment from the realities of the world you live in?
The film is incredibly funny throughout, with more than one belly-roll laugh. An incident with a cop on a bus (again, challenging our ideas about what and whom we chose to fear) and Noam Chomsky Day (it's going to be a thing, I'm telling you) stand out in particular.
The acting from Mortenson and the children in the cast is astounding. If things like the Oscars mattered and were distributed in a fair way, there's more than one family member from Captain Fantastic who would be in the running for a gong.
Over the course of the film, there are no filler moments. I never once felt like the material was either stretched or hurried; beautifully paced, each scene, each close up, was done with critical precision.
Along with the theme of protection and whether unconditional love is enough to ensure you're a good parent, the underlying thread of mental illness cannot be ignored. While the circumstances of the family are unique, the difficulty of how to help and support someone with a mental illness is universally relatable. I found a tear rolling down my cheek once or twice as you watch the characters grapple with the irrevocable circumstances that arise due to mental illness and the shadow of questions that trail them about whether they could've done more.
If there's one film you go to see this September, make is Captain Fantastic. You won't regret it.
In cinemas September 9th. Check out @CaptainMovieUK for more info.
An independent film, the plot revolves around a survivalist family who live in the woods, forced to deal with the outside world following a tragedy.
On paper, had I read about Captain Fantastic, I'm not sure I would've thought of it as "my thing". But I would've been missing out on something magical.
Captain Fantastic Screening, Lighthouse Cinema
From it's gritty opening scene, the movie reels you in and never lets you go. The narrative is woven in a beautiful, poignant and sometimes terrifying way.
This is a film that makes you thing; considerately, consciously, collectively. Themes of protection abound over the two hours - using the model of three different family types (the father, his sister, grandparents) to force us to question our attitudes towards how we protect the young and which way is best.
The complications of different choices are laid bare in a brilliant scene involving high-school adolescents, brought up the traditional way, and a young child who's life everyday demands high survival, being asked about the Bill of Rights (fun fact - also Viggo Mortenson's favourite scene, as he told us at the Q&A after the film).
Moretenson's parental style rejects convention and instead, forces his children - and us the audience - to question our society and values; especially what we deem is "safe" to expose our children too. What poses the greater danger to a young person - hanging off a cliff face or complete detachment from the realities of the world you live in?
The film is incredibly funny throughout, with more than one belly-roll laugh. An incident with a cop on a bus (again, challenging our ideas about what and whom we chose to fear) and Noam Chomsky Day (it's going to be a thing, I'm telling you) stand out in particular.
The acting from Mortenson and the children in the cast is astounding. If things like the Oscars mattered and were distributed in a fair way, there's more than one family member from Captain Fantastic who would be in the running for a gong.
Over the course of the film, there are no filler moments. I never once felt like the material was either stretched or hurried; beautifully paced, each scene, each close up, was done with critical precision.
Along with the theme of protection and whether unconditional love is enough to ensure you're a good parent, the underlying thread of mental illness cannot be ignored. While the circumstances of the family are unique, the difficulty of how to help and support someone with a mental illness is universally relatable. I found a tear rolling down my cheek once or twice as you watch the characters grapple with the irrevocable circumstances that arise due to mental illness and the shadow of questions that trail them about whether they could've done more.
If there's one film you go to see this September, make is Captain Fantastic. You won't regret it.
In cinemas September 9th. Check out @CaptainMovieUK for more info.
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