![]() His siblings each get hunting knives, while the 6-year-old receives a copy of “The Joy of Sex.” It’s a telling moment, topped only by an impromptu quiz for the daughter who’s decided to skip ahead in her reading and try “Lolita” - which she analyzes with the insight of a college student, or a professional critic. The expression on youngest son Nai’s face is priceless in a scene in which the kids all receive presents. This is Ben’s way: He treats his kids as young adults, respecting their intelligence at every turn - as demonstrated in a visit to their more conventionally minded aunt and uncle (Kathryn Hahn and Steve Zahn, respectively), whose relatively average sons are all but glued to their iPhones. Though Ben’s children know nothing of Lady Gaga or “Star Trek,” as a result of rigorous home-schooling, they are conversant in everything from the Constitution to Karl Marx - not to mention wilderness survival, self defense, extreme rock climbing and human reproduction. “Your mother is dead,” Ben matter-of-factly announces, speaking to his children with a directness American parents seldom display toward minors. There’s an almost cult-like quality to this ritual, which stands to reason: What are families, after all, beyond autonomous little sects forced to operate within a broader social context? Only in Ben’s case, he’s effectively cut the ties that connect the family to the rest of the world - so much so that it’s not until days later, when reunited with the nearest telephone line, that he learns what’s happened to his wife, Leslie. Opening somewhere so far removed from civilization that all we see are trees, the film plunges into the primordial Washington forest where Ben (Mortensen, in full mountain-man beard) has organized a rite-of-passage hunting ceremony for his eldest son, Bodevan (23-year-old British actor George MacKay, a slightly alien but appropriately youthful-looking choice). ![]() Though it’s been just four years since Ross’ debut, “28 Hotel Rooms,” premiered at Sundance, his writing and directing skills have progressed so much in that time, this sophomore effort could pass for a fourth or fifth feature, boasting studio-caliber production values while preserving the personal ambition of an independently made passion project. ![]() But when Mom commits suicide, that puts a major twist in the fairy tale, which is precisely where Ross’ emotionally gripping family drama begins, evenhandedly weighing the pros and cons of its wildly unconventional parenting strategy, as the grieving father and his six kids cope with the idea of integrating back into polite society.īoasting half a dozen impressive youth performances alongside a leading role that takes full advantage of Mortensen’s own sensitive, back-to-nature spirit, “Captain Fantastic” easily ranks among the most polished and relatable of this year’s Sundance offerings, even if the self-sufficient lifestyle it depicts will feel totally alien to most of its mainstream audience. If there weren’t already a film called “World’s Greatest Dad,” that over-commodified Father’s Day slogan would have made a fine title for Matt Ross’ “ Captain Fantastic,” which stars Viggo Mortensen as one of the screen’s all-time most progressive patriarchs - the surviving half of a counter-culture couple who decided to shrug off capitalism (they ignore Christmas, but celebrate “Noam Chomsky Day”), quit the big city and raise their family off the grid.
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