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Also Known As: Une vie fantastique |
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| Year of first release: 2016 | |
| Director: Matt Ross | |
| Actors: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks | |
| Country: USA | |
| Genre: Adventure, Drama | |
| Conditions of visioning: 04.07.2016, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview, English version with German subtitles | |
| Synopsis: In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, Ben (Mortensen) is a father devoted to raising his six kids (Bo, Kielyr, Vespyr, Rellian, Saja, Nai) with a rigorous physical and intellectual education. One day he is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent. | |
| Review: The movie transfers one utopia of being an autarky. The family hunts or gathers or grows the food. External goods are most of the tools, knifes, rope and climbing stuff, books, music instruments. This in exchange of goods that they produce from the nature, like trappers. The goal of the parents was to educate their children independently from the consumption society and so that they can live by themselves. Therefore this utopia of autarky is not complete and shows anyway its limits. In the encounters with the North American society, the kids are not prepared at all. And this leads to very funny scenes and dialogues that seem like an anachronism. Also the North American society and especially their family is not prepared to meet them. I like the story as it is not the usual story of a man or woman leaving the stress of the city to live in a farm in the mountains and finding the big love there. The camera driving is amazing in the running scenes in the woods and mountains. Very impressive. The acting of Viggo Mortensen is really authentic and charismatic and his personal touch of having a bombilla with mate all the time very original. This movie is done not only for the ones talking or thinking about utopia, but also for the ones thinking about education. For me it is the major originality of the story. By showing extremes in education, it shows the limits of each concept. |
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Rating: 8 /10
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More than entertainment, an Art.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Captain Fantastic (2016)
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Remembering your positive review I watched it on 02.01.2017 on the 10" screen of an in-flight entertainment system. The story reminded me of another movie in which the main character wants to escape modern society: Into the Wild by Sean Penn.
ReplyDeleteI liked the realistic aspect of the movie. Autarky is indeed an utopia i.e. it cannot be fully reached, and the limitations that you mention are for me acceptable and help describing a semi-independent lifestyle that can be reached. But the movie confirms what I had already pondered over: the final limitation you encounter when escaping the modern world is your Health.
I liked that there are some comedy situations resulting from the encounter of the family with the outside world, but they are not too numerous nor exaggerated. I like in particular how they dissuade the cop from inspecting the bus.
And as you mention the message about education is extremely strong and probably the one I will retain from this movie. Same rating for me: 8/10.