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Captain Fantastic Review - [Insert Contrived "Fantastic" Pun Here]


Being an indie film, Captain Fantastic had a relatively limited cinema release, meaning I missed its run at my local artsy hipster cinema. So, I set off from my comfortable home, narrowly escaped three darkly clad horse riders, traversed through ancient mines, confronted a colossal spider, scaled an active volcano and finally reached Nottingham, where I sat down in a comfortable - if rather beardy - cinema. After enduring such a journey, was the film worth it?

In short, yes. I've seen many good films this year, but Captain Fantastic is one of my favourites*. It focuses on Viggo Mortensen's Ben Cash, a father raising his six kids away from society. He teaches them self sufficiency and to reject consumerism, instilling in them his intensely left wing views. You'd expect the film to feel preachy, but it never does. Writer/director Matt Ross ensures that the viewer empathises with Ben without having to agree with him, exploring the convincing motivations behind his beliefs and constantly challenging them. It's a masterfully balanced character study that's always believable and uniquely compelling.

The plot itself is wonderfully unpredictable, revolving around Ben and his kids exploring the real world to attend their mother's funeral. At its core it's a road trip film, but it perfectly optimises that for its character's development. Ben is forced to question how he's raising his children when their safety is put at risk and they struggle to mix with others. Meanwhile, his eldest son experiences romance for the first time, providing moments of hilarity and poignancy. The residents of the real world, such as Ben's father-in-law, aren't simply antagonists either, but have their lifestyles equally challenged by the situation. The only disappointing characters are the rest of Ben's children, who are merely there to develop other characters or crack jokes.

All of this is presented beautifully through the directing, cinematography and music. Ross brings the best out of his actors, with Mortensen and George MacKay (as Cash's eldest) delivering the strongest and most nuanced performances. Ross even gets solid work from the younger cast members who provide much of the film's gleeful energy. Meanwhile, Stéphane Fontaine's cinematography ensures every shot is bursting with colour and Alex Somers (frequent collaborator of Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós) provides a delicately subtle score. Each of these elements is used precisely when it's needed to bolster the story and characters without getting in the way. Captain Fantastic has style, but it only improves the substance.

Despite its title, Captain Fantastic is the perfect antidote for those tired of the current barrage of Hollywood superhero films. Its daring originality makes it stand out from the crowd, whilst its rich characters, powerful performances, gorgeous cinematography and touching score make for one of the most well rounded films of the year.

9/10

*End of year top 10 coming, not coincidentally, at the end of the year.

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