Captain Fantastic - Einmal Wildnis und zurück

This typical “Sundance movie” is a feel-good tragicomedy with a nice soundtrack, eccentric but likeable characters and a predictable ending. The raw opening scene depicting the first of a series of rituals aimed at preparing Bodevan for his entry into adulthood gives the viewer hope that Captain Fantastic will be more truthful than ingratiating, while not offering any wonderfully easy solutions to complex problems. But from a celebration of life outside of the system that strips people of their individuality, the film soon collapses into a hackneyed story about the necessity of socialisation and respect for social conventions. The characters may not be willing to accept the norms of the world that they have scorned for so long without question, but their transformation is still tied to their subordination to the dominant ideology. Though the director sensitively spreads the attention among all of the members of the family, led by Mortensen’s practically perfect protagonist (whose mythologisation, already evident in the film’s title, is not problematised by Ross), he cannot disguise the fact that his characters serve mainly as walking arguments in support of the conservative idea of the importance of a happy family. Thanks to its pleasing shot compositions, slightly cynical humour, reasonable amount of pathos and well-timed use of upbeat music, the film evokes the intended emotions, but these quickly fade, because Captain Fantastic is not built on a convincing foundation. We can believe neither in the characters, who too easily give up everything they have fought so long and hard for, nor, because of that, in the would-be non-conformist, anti-consumerist message. 70% (03.08.2016)

51st KVIFF - completely off the mark. In a rational person, the “funny” sequences will probably arouse concern and fear. That psychopath commanding a radical, potentially terrorist cell in the forest should end up behind bars, instead of back in the family circle in the style of “we all love each other”. When it looks like the voice of reason will prevail (Frank Langella’s), it ends up being flushed down the toilet. I’m allergic to this alternative stuff, so I was hostile against this film from the beginning. The rating might be too harsh, but it comes from the heart. If you feel otherwise, you’ll be satisfied. (08.07.2016)

Agitprop? Nope. Perhaps at first glance, it’s a clueless-looking road movie in the end, but without unnecessary pathos it both praises and denounces the strength of family togetherness, which can reconcile the pitfalls of socialism and the exploitation of capitalism. This will still mature intellectually. 4 ½. (10.10.2016)

An independent American road movie that goes against the global system every one of us lives in and more or less functions. It actually tells a story of a family that calls itself Trockians and that bought a piece of land in some Canadian forest. There they built two wooden buildings and live there happily, educate themselves and all in all, are very proactive. Well, and after the movie started with a pretty brutal scene (a hunt), it slowed down quite pleasantly afterward. But throughout, the movie confronts the world of the family (a dad and 6 children) in the middle of the mountains, forests, and rivers with our world and how much we are distancing ourselves from nature. Even though we arose from it. So I understood fully the director’s intentions who, for example, illustrates how today’s kids have fun and learn with the example of 2 consumerist children. Computer games, violence, and phones. All the while they know nothing about the world. This doesn’t mean I am agreeing with Viggo Mortensen, who gave an otherworldly performance but also tried a different, completely opposite extreme. There is everything in the movie. Great camera work, locations, music, all acting performances… I actually don’t know why I did not give it a full score. Maybe because their life in the wilderness was too idealized. It actually looked better than any Czech cottage. Finally, I want to thank the creators of Scope100 and Aerofilms that I had the chance to see this movie in the Bio Oko cinema. Thanks. (07.06.2016)

Es ist einzigartiges Beispiel für einen Film, der mich binnen einer Minute beeindruckt und zugleich zum Rasen bringt, doch es ist kaum zu glauben, wie mich das Schauspielerische sowie die Regie manchmal für diesen platonischen Idealismus gewonnen hat, welcher da mit würzigem ideologischem Goulasch vermischt wird. Manipulativ ja, am Ende gar ahnungslos, jedoch auf der Ebene der intimen Geschichte über einen tyrannischen Vater sowie sich emanzipierende Kinder ist dies einfach ein Hinreißer, der nicht allzu weit von der bedeutend reineren sowie einfacheren Magie der Wilden Kreaturen entfernt ist. Mortensen? Dieser Typ ist spielt nicht in der ersten Liga. Der hat längst eine eigene gegründet. Er wird den Film in bedeutendem Maße über alle kleinen Problemchen hinwegtragen. Es handelt sich um eine inspirierende Mischung aus Widerstand und Sympathie. [75%] (23.07.2016)

Thematically similar to Wild and Into The Wild, i.e. an individual with different views, attitudes and philosophy of life, going against the established practices and standards of modern society. It's a bit of an agitprop for organic life, a bit of a tribute to the hippies and a bit of a backwoods romp. Most of all, though, it's a surprisingly functional family drama about unconventional family practices and a different approach to life that's very raw in some scenes while brilliantly contrasting the typically capitalist mannerisms of the contemporary bourgeoisie, a superbly typecast American middle class, and a family of pragmatic, penniless scrappers living in the woods who are seemingly depraved in every way, but not really. The greatest virtue is that the director manages to put all these typologically selected life practices into one plane and extracts the positives and negatives from both in equal measure. So, in the end, the viewer is served with a plethora of consistent, very interesting opinions and scenes that are entertaining in their inner charge, thought-provoking message, and are healthily spiced with great acting performances. Thankfully it clearly doesn't side with nature, whereas the older brothers have it in their name and it's clear what it looks like afterwards. Mortensen and co are nuts, but they have brains, they know why they're doing it and you root for them. (15.12.2016)

An indie film in a highly addictive presentation. It has beautiful performances (perhaps Aragorn deserves a major award), with a catchy narration and topped off with a big idea that the filmmakers manage to sell almost perfectly. I'm not saying that I wouldn't also occasionally love go somewhere in the middle of uninhabited forests, away from religious fanaticism, gluttony, social chaos and greed, and then read how to behave on a first amorous encounter (and the resulting knowledge would undoubtedly be as useless to me as my current ignorance), and I would play the uplifting country version of “Sweet Child O'Mine”... Not as free-thinking as its heroes, but certainly a playful and inspiring work that deserves universal attention and respect. 85% (27.12.2016)

Back in my day, The Addams Family used to be a comedy. Cynicism aside, though, because this is such a perverse midcult that a few of its pernicious aspects need to be listed. Primary among them is the appalling hypocrisy, in the name of which the film masquerades as an anti-mainstream alternative, but uses virtually every means to appeal to the widest audience, including the last dumbass in the back of the theater, for whom most Sundance films are otherwise a junkie bore about nothing. Indeed, the film carefully monitors the length of each scene lest it accidentally become boring, repeatedly demonstrates the glorified otherness of the Cash family through food, permanently rips the over-smart kids to shreds as evidence of superiority, and, most importantly, doesn't allow the protagonist to see his missteps from anyone but himself. This questionable aspect, however, is never capitalized upon critically, but only melodramatically. To see him as a dangerous, idealistic fool who, despite everything, deserves our appreciation through his diligence and conviction, is impossible; it thus arouses a provocative ambivalence, because for over half of the running time he fulfills the role of messiah, and the film gives him credit for being right by putting only obstacles in his way that he can use to demonstrate his truth. So much that, as a result of the isolation, the traumatic experience of his eighteen-year-old son's first love is rendered as a humorous cutesy scene, one of the many colors of their unbridled ride through America. The seemingly interesting concept of a post-hippie commune in response to consumer society is thus watered down into a mishmash of topics to be discussed by moms over a shelf of fair trade food with a baby strapped to their chest and three credit cards in an embroidered bag with Peruvian motifs. (01.11.2016)

In the beginning, it seemed like a movie about a cult, which made me so annoyed that I almost quit watching. Then it occurred to me that the film might be about the Kelly Family and I hung in there out of curiosity. Surprisingly, after a while, the whole family went to a funeral on a bus accompanied by the sound of Scotland the Brave, so I figured it probably wasn't about the American-Irish band. I was amazed how intrigued and entertained I was by a story about a clash of two life philosophies. I just didn’t take away any moral lessons. But that's just me, I’m a cynic. A side effect of the film is that I’ll be suspiciously looking around when walking down the street to see if there isn’t a radical socialist behind me who’s out to get me. (16.11.2016)

I didn't expect to be blown away by this film, but I was. I liked how Viggo's character raised his children because I think it could really work. Sure, it's brought to an absurd extent here, but I think it's nice to have some alternative to today's consumption-centric culture. (16.11.2016)

Captain Fantastic stands for values ​​that almost directly contradict my own worldview. It might seem that a movie full of extreme left-wing pathos aimed at the evil capitalism would warrant a below-average rating from me. But, in fact, I enjoyed those two hours a lot. At first glance, this may seem like a prayer for the destruction of the current rotten system and the return of power to the people through class struggle. On closer inspection, it is actually a feel-good movie that is not afraid to show the bad aspects of both systems. Logically, it's more about ecological propaganda than the inability to socially interact in a better way. I really enjoyed the great performance of Viggo Mortensen who simply radiates charisma, and when I look back at how few movies he has been in over the last 10 years, I really think he deserves an Oscar for this one. (08.02.2017)