In Chomsky We Trust
Do you remember Christmas? Forget about it. It’s much better to celebrate Chomsky’s birthday.
What’s the perfect outfit for a funeral? A dress with shock colors.The school system that is made up of lessons, homework and deadlines...Overrated.
These are just some of the concepts covered in Captain Fantastic, a 2016 movie by Mark Ross. In this movie, Viggo Mortensen is head of a family that lives in the middle of a North American forest by choice. Ben (Viggo Mortensen) raises his six children with a strict protocol; made of daily workouts, hunting for food, science and language lessons, philosophical debates and a total rejection of the capitalistic consumption system in contemporary society.
The father is the only point of reference for his children, since their mother was hospitalized in a psychiatric institution. He plays an unscrupulous role and treats them as adults.
Their daily lives are turned upside down when they receive the news of the mother's suicide, forcing them to embark on a journey in the “civilized world” that will question the objective feasibility of their personal utopia. The girls who speak to each other in Esperanto for comedic purposes and stereotypical slogans (fight the power!), the project between both Steiner and Thoreau, is successful.
Although the plot seems to have already been seen, Matt Ross is able to deal with these issues in a masterly way. The surprise ending and an incredible Viggo Mortensen make the movie so unique.
The modern world’s problems, such as the drama of the educational system, are accented with very suggestive scenes with an almost genius simplicity. One of the most memorable scenes is when Ben shows his sister how the eight year old son has learned what the Bill of Rights represents, in depth.
Unlike her children, who are older than him, play video games and go to school daily. The film also points the finger at the denial of the truth.
This comes from their sense of protection for their little ones. Ben refuses this. Infact, he doesn't even hide their mother’s suicide from his children and he doesn’t lie about delicate subjects like sex.
Viggo Mortensen manages to perfectly embody the ambiguity of the father character; sometimes confident, sometimes a dictator. We also see his values crumble when he understands that there is something he cannot teach in a forest: social relationships.
