Captain Fantastic

Drop-out survivalists are forced to re-enter mainstream society when a tragedy strikes. They’re like a family of doomsday preppers with a positive, if fortress, mentality and leanings toward Mao and Chomsky rather than the NRA (was this written in the 70s?). The message seems to be it’s not yet time for dis-integration, or maybe it’s just never really time for fundamentalism.

Captain Fantastic’s emotional turmoils play a lot stronger than its character’s ideals, as admirable yet compromised, misplaced or mistimed as those may be. The film is intentionally ambiguous about them. Its a complex picture, whilst challenging the viewer to take sides, and that may be it’s ultimate statement, complexity and ambiguity, synergising effectively with its surface themes about parenthood.