Captain Fantastic: Review

It can be very hard to find films that the whole family want to watch. During these times of social isolation most people are turning to entertainment to keep occupied. Whether it's getting through the netflix series you've always wanted to binge or trudging through that long list of movie recommendations which you never intended to actually watch but now you've got some time on your hands you may as well, there is no shortage of choice in this age of streaming.

The issue arises when you have a family all with conflicting tastes, all in the mood for something different and even if two people agree on what they want to watch they'll always be challenged by the one that just "isn't in the mood".

Amazingly Captain Fantastic is one of those rare films that I'd added to my Netflix list and my family all wanted to watch it and we all enjoyed it! Loved it even! I know!

So giving away as little as I can in this review I'm going to try and persuade you guys to check it out!

1. Plot

Captain Fantastic is about the Cash family who live alone in a cabin in the woods. Completely isolated from the outside world, they've built their own utopia where even the youngest has the brain of a great philosopher and the strength of kids twice their age. Lead by their father, the family live by socialist values, frowning upon the capitalist hum-drum of modern America.

After the tragic death of their mother the family learn that she is to be buried in a graveyard, far off the buddhist funeral she wished for in her will. Knowing that their future as a family could be at stake, the Cash family leave the woods with the aim of disrupting the funeral and giving her the send-off she would have wanted.

Beautifully original, funny and heartwarming there is so much to like about this film. While the remote lives of the Cash family seems strange and wild you can't help but side with their world view and question the way we live our lives as a society run by corporations.

2. Philosophy

Captain Fantastic presents multiple ideas and viewpoints on Marxism, capitalism, honesty, mental health and education. One of the most interesting conversations in the film was when Bo (George McKay) mentions that his dad is writing a book about Dr Spock, the well renowned child-raising specialist whose book Baby and Childcare (1946) is one of the best selling books in history.

In the book Dr Spock talks a lot about instincts when it comes to raising children and that you "know more than you think you do"

The philosophical question of "What is the best environment to raise children?" is debated throughout the film. Should parents be completely honest when children ask difficult questions about death, sex or relationships? Or should children only be told the truth when they are deemed by society to be ready to understand?

Should we raise our kids in a consumerist society where they are advertised to from a very young age or is it our duty to keep them seperate from that environment? At what point does giving children independence and "tough love" become child neglect?

The messages in this film never seemed to be talking down to their audience instead posing them with questions that they themselves have to answer by the end of the film. It's only in writing this review that I realised how much content is included in this film without it feeling like a lecture. The characters are so well fleshed out that we are completely invested in the story while we try and figure out how we feel towards their situation.

3. Marxist Film Theory

Here's a bit for all the film nerds. Captain Fantastic is a perfect example of Marxist film theory and a brilliant way to study it if you're interested. Essentially Marxist film theory is about the deconstruction of narrative norms that usually present hegemony in mass media.

Hegemony is essentially the status quo that idealises capitalism and traditional values in films. An example would be a film like Captain America which is essentially about patriotism with a white, male, hetrosexual character that stands for and glorifies America and makes it seem like an unchallengeable force of good. This also ties into Hypodermic needle theory which argues that mass media injects ideas into society as a passive audience and we only believe certain things because they have been fed to us through the media... an interesting theory which sounds very 1984.

I'm not saying Captain America is bad, I actually really love those films but it's just the easiest example to use... plus it's about another Captain.

When a film like Captain Fantastic challenges the hegemony and the class ideology that is essentially a default for most blockbusters it comes under Marxist film theory. This isn't just about the position the characters take but also the position of the film itself in how it makes you sympathise with the characters and presents the American class system as an antagonistic force. This is achieved specifically through the exaggerated contrast between the huge mansions the grandparents and extended family live in and the woodland home the main characters live in.

This is only a small part of what Marxist film theory is about but well worth the research if you're interested in some weird and wonderful film work.

4. Conclusion

Captain Fantastic is a brilliant and unique film that balances humour with deep emotional turmoil and philosophy. Don't be put off if you're not one for debating as it can easily be watched with no strings attached but for those who like subtext and reading into films a little bit more, there's plenty to go at here!

Captain Fantastic is one of my favourite isolation watches so far!

8/10