Captain Fantastic
classified 15Please note: This was screened in Sept 2016
Viggo Mortensen stars as an idealistic survivalist father raising his six children off the grid and away from contemporary civilisation - until events force them into the outside world - in this charming, energetic and eccentric comedy drama.
Mortensen is Ben, who lives with his six children in a remote Washington state forest, where he home schools them to be fit in body and mind: stalking deer, critiquing Lolita, improvising musicals and rock climbing. When a family crisis forces them to re-enter the world, the whole clan must face the reality and values of a world they have spent so long separating themselves from. Ben finds his idealistic way of raising his kids under attack while the children themselves question the new environment around them - an environment filled with mobile phones, violent video games, music, and fat people - and its various joys and flaws.
Captain Fantastic asks hard questions about what it means to be a father and what values are important in a family: how far must you go to live an 'authentic' life? It's a gorgeous film - one of our favourites of the year - and we think it'll be right up Bristol's street (or forest dwelling). Enjoy...