Captain Fantastic Information

Captain Fantastic is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Matt Ross and starring Viggo Mortensen. The story centers on a family that is forced by circumstances to reintegrate into society after living in isolation for a decade.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. It was theatrically released on July 8, 2016 by Bleecker Street. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten independent films of 2016 and Mortensen was nominated for the Golden Globe, the BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Plot

Ben Cash, his wife Leslie and their six children live in the Washington wilderness. Ben and Leslie are former anarchist activists disillusioned with capitalism and American life, and chose to instill survivalist skills, left wing politics, and philosophy in their children - educating them to think critically, training them to be self-reliant, physically fit and athletic, guiding them without technology, demonstrating the beauty of coexisting with nature and celebrating Noam Chomsky's birthday instead of Christmas.

Leslie is hospitalized for bipolar disorder and eventually dies by suicide. Ben learns that Leslie's father Jack plans to hold a traditional funeral and burial, even though Leslie wished to be cremated. They argue over the phone and Jack threatens to have Ben arrested if he attends the funeral. He initially decides not to go and prevents his children from doing so, but then changes his mind, leading his children on a road trip into life outside the wilderness.

The family briefly stays at his sister Harper's house. She and her husband try to convince Ben that his children should attend school to receive a traditional education; Ben shows that his children are better educated than Harper's own children. Ben arrives at Leslie's funeral with his children and reads her will, which instructs her family to cremate her and flush her ashes down the toilet. In response, Jack has Ben forcibly removed.

Ben's children also start doubting their father and his parenting skills. His son Rellian accuses Ben of failing to treat Leslie's mental health. His son Bodevan accuses his father of failing to equip them for the real world by setting them up for a rude awakening when they grow up and shows him college acceptance letters from Ivy League schools for which Leslie had helped him apply. Rellian wants to live with his grandparents, who want to take custody of them. When Vespyr tries to climb into a window to "free" Rellian from his grandparents, she falls from the roof and narrowly avoids breaking her neck. Ben, shocked and guilty, allows Jack to take his children. Although they have bonded with their grandparents, the children decide to follow Ben again when he departs.

The children honor Leslie's wish and convince Ben to help them, exhuming her corpse, burning it in a self-made pyre and flushing her ashes down an airport toilet. Bodevan then leaves the family to travel through Namibia, while the rest settle on a farm. The final scene is the family around the kitchen table with their father, waiting for the school bus to arrive.

Cast

• Viggo Mortensen as Ben Cash
• George MacKay as Bodevan "Bo" Cash
• Samantha Isler as Kielyr Cash
• Annalise Basso as Vespyr Cash
• Nicholas Hamilton as Rellian Cash
• Shree Crooks as Zaja Cash
• Charlie Shotwell as Nai Cash
• Kathryn Hahn as Harper Cash
• Trin Miller as Leslie Abigail Cash
• Steve Zahn as Dave
• Elijah Stevenson as Justin
• Teddy Van Ee as Jackson
• Erin Moriarty as Claire McCune
• Missi Pyle as Ellen McCune
• Frank Langella as Jack Bertrang
• Ann Dowd as Abigail Bertrang

Production

The idea of the movie started for Matt Ross as he began questioning the choices he and his wife were making as parents. From there he wondered what would happen if he were "completely present" in his children's lives, while noting that modern technology had made that difficult. In making the film Ross also took autobiographical bits from his own life, notably being raised in what he terms as "alternative-living communities" growing up.

Viggo Mortensen was cast in February 2014. That June, it was announced that George MacKay, Annalise Basso, Samantha Isler, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks and newcomer Charlie Shotwell had also been cast. Much of the rest of the cast joined that July and August.

Principal photography on the film commenced in July 2014, in Western Washington, with additional photography in Portland, Oregon.

Release

In July 2014, eOne Entertainment acquired international distribution rights to the film. In August 2014, it was announced that Bleecker Street would distribute the film in the United States. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016. The film was released on July 8, 2016. The film was aired in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, with Matt Ross winning the Best Director prize.

Reception

Box office

Captain Fantastic grossed $5.9 million in the United States and Canada and $15.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $21.3 million, against a production budget of $5 million.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 200 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Captain Fantastic's thought-provoking themes"?and an absorbing starring turn from Viggo Mortensen"?add up to an above-average family drama with unexpected twists." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 72 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It received a ten-minute standing ovation at Cannes.

Alonso Duralde of TheWrap gave the film a positive review, saying "The movie really belongs to Mortensen, who allows Ben to be exasperating, arrogant and impatient but also warm, loving and caring. He"?s a tough but adoring father, a grieving widower and a passionate defender of his wife"?s final wishes, and Mortensen plays all these notes and more with subtlety and grace". Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying "Boasting half a dozen impressive youth performances alongside a leading role that takes full advantage of Mortensen"?s own sensitive, back-to-nature spirit, Captain Fantastic easily ranks among the most polished and relatable of this year"?s Sundance offerings."

One of the few negative reviews was from Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian. "There"?s a meaty whiff of phoney-baloney in this fatuous and tiresome movie, replete with forced emotional crises and wrong notes, topped off with an excruciatingly unearned, sentimental ending. It's a low-cal version of Peter Weir"?s 1986 movie The Mosquito Coast, starring someone who is essentially a cross between Charles Manson and Captain von Trapp."

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	}}
AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards	February 6, 2017	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
Academy Awards	February 26, 2017	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
British Academy Film Awards	February 12, 2017	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Viggo Mortensen
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival	July 31, 2016	Save Energy, Save Earth Film Award	Captain Fantastic
Cannes Film Festival	May 22, 2016	Un Certain Regard - Prize for Best Director	Matt Ross
		Prix Un Certain Regard	Captain Fantastic
Costume Designers Guild	February 21, 2017	Excellence in Contemporary Film	Courtney Hoffman
Critics' Choice Awards	December 11, 2016	Best Actor in a Comedy	Viggo Mortensen
Deauville American Film Festival	September 11, 2016	Audience Award	Captain Fantastic
		Jury Prize	Captain Fantastic
		Grand Prix	Captain Fantastic
Dorian Awards	January 26, 2017	Unsung Film of the Year	Captain Fantastic
Evening Standard British Film Awards	December 8, 2016	Best Supporting Actor	George MacKay
Florida Film Critics Circle	December 23, 2016	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
Golden Globe Awards	January 8, 2017	Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama	Viggo Mortensen
Houston Film Critics Society	January 6, 2017	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
		Best Poster	Captain Fantastic
Independent Spirit Awards	February 25, 2017	Best Male Lead	Viggo Mortensen
IndieWire Critics Poll	December 19, 2016	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival	July 9, 2016	Audience Award	Captain Fantastic
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild	February 19, 2017	Feature-Length Motion Picture - Contemporary Make-Up	Akemi Hart and Karen McDonald
Nantucket Film Festival	June 27, 2016	Audience Award	Captain Fantastic
National Board of Review	January 4, 2017	Top Ten Independent Film	Captain Fantastic
Online Film Critics Society	January 3, 2017	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
Rome Film Festival	October 22, 2016	BNL People's Choice Award	Captain Fantastic
San Diego Film Critics Society	December 12, 2016	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
Satellite Awards	February 19, 2017	Best Film	Captain Fantastic
		Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen
		Best Original Screenplay	Matt Ross
		Best Costume Design	Courtney Hoffman
Seattle International Film Festival	June 12, 2016	Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film	Captain Fantastic
Screen Actors Guild Awards	January 29, 2017	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Viggo Mortensen
		Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	The cast of Captain Fantastic
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association	December 18, 2016	Best Actor	Viggo Mortensen