CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

 CAPTAIN FANTASTIC: COMPONENT 1 SECTION B US FILMS SINCE 2005

A critic of American society, a questioning of values. The screenplay explicitly engages with those economical, political, cultural ideas. 

An independent film. 

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Ben - deceased wife, Leslie.
• Six children: Vespyr, Kielyr, Zaja, Bo-devan, Nai, Rellian.
• Dave and Harper.
• Jack 

BEN CASH

Liberalism / progressiveness 

Anti-establishment / authority 

Liberal education 

Power and freedom (NOAM CHOMSKY)

Questioning and rebelling against status quo 

Being outside of the established system. 

JACK BERTAND

Tradition and convention

Status quo / authority 

Traditional education

Order and conservatism 

Conserving and preserving status quo

Working within the system

OPENING SEQUENCE: 

Landscaping wide shots and pull focus of the surroundings and deer.

Shallow depth of field.

Handheld tracking shots of the deer. Zoom in. Value of freedom, a free animal. 

Sudden fast pace editing, contributing to the chaos of the hunt. The lighting shifts from sun peaking through trees to shadows obscuring the disturbing process , perhaps emblematic of the loss of life and strife for survival.

A mix of tribal connotations and man made suburban items create a heavy juxtaposition, may relate to the division of values between characters. 

Spiritual symbols, the sacrifice of a living being to grant the maturity of another. 

Reverse mid close up shots to the faces of different characters, the younger character, perhaps foreshadowing that their time to do the same thing will soon be upon them. 

Extreme wide shot when carrying the deer through the forrest. As spectators we witness the vastness of their location, we anticipate their reasonings and morals. An intelligent response from an active audience. 

Passing this "test" the father and son are on the same hierarchy, noticed through equal levels between them. Primitive societies are very male dominated, a form of violence is an initiation ceremony. This does not align with contemporary America, that contrast of urban and tribal. 

CONT...

Montage of the family members doing different activities where they live in the forrest. Provides the value of teamwork and familial support. 

Zoom ins on different framed photos, reference to the past and perhaps what these people once where. As spectators we have an intellectual response and assume the backstory. 

When day shifts to night the warm orange lighting of the fire certainly creates the calm atmosphere, the meditation beforehand emphasises the importance of tranquility in their environment. This warm lighting contributes to this value. 

The gas mask worn by the young girl instantly serves as a strange isolation between her and the family, she was seen boning a beaver in her hut separated from the chores of each family member. 

A high callable way of learning around the campfire, the books they read. Contrast between capital life skills and then general intelligence. 

The diegetic sound of the train and the shots of the letters create a significant contrast, Bo has been accepted into multiple universities, this is something to be proud of and excited about, however, the screeching sound of the train can be emblematic of the inner conflict he holds between leaving his family and his future. His expressions emphasise this. Rejection of capitalism. 

The issue is that Ben doesn't teach them any middle ground, ironic as could be just as bad as how America teaches capitalism and consumerism. The alternative may not be any better. Difficult to align with. 

40-60 MINS -

 

Dinner sequence 

They never really share the cinematic Fram (framing and composition), representative of the divide of each families values. Sitting on opposite sides of the table, the table serves as a barrier between American consumerism and anti-American values (marxism).

MISE-EN-SCENE - The younger boy on his phone playing war games while slouched at the dinner table, sign of disrespect, also ironic as he is playing a violent game, shocking to the other kids. 

Both families have similar destructive characteristics, uneducated and drinking wine underage, both families think they are right. 

Fast paced editing and cuts between the faces of Harper's family, tension and awkwardness. The families are only linked through the mothers death. 

Mid close up shots of Ben's family, shows posture and demeanour, perhaps they are excited to have this experience. SPECTATORSHIP - We notice how unequipped the family is for the real life, however it can be similar for Harper's kids due to a lack of concentration and charisma. Intellectual response. Difficult moment of who to align with. 

Harper is always sugar coating discussion, same as her husband, this juxtaposes Ben's methods of honesty and truth his family. However, as spectators we can agree that both families are not in the right, either going too far into the extremes or being to brief to understand. 

Chomsky sequence 

When the gifts are given out, Ben gives one of the little girls a sex book, obviously not suitable for a child, afterwards giving her a knife as if it is any better. The film takes these strange scenes and makes it comedic, takes us away from reality for a short time, however, thinking about what it truly reflects has a more intense impact. 

It is clear that they idolise Chomsky, veiling him as a leader and powerful person, literally celebrating an entire day just for him. 

It is interesting to see the teen boy want to have Christmas Day one day, Ben immediately shuts down his point "elf", but manages to be manipulative enough to seem as though he isn't making a stupid point, asking him to elaborate on his reasoning. 

Cremation sequence

Multiple pull focuses and a shallow depth of field, reflects an intimate moment. 

Medium close up pointed at un upward angle when Ben speaks to the body

Strangely, the music of "Sweet Child 'o mine" is in fact parallel to what's happening on screen, the diegetic music matches the emotions of the family, a sense of completeness and equilibrium. 

Tracking shot through the airport, implies the journey is almost over, framing and composition of the entire family walking through. 

Zoom in from the toilet boll to all of them looking inwards. 

Physical journeys and emotional journeys 

ASSESSMENT

"Captain Fantastic reflects the extent to which contemporary US culture and society is divided" 

There is no doubt that Ben and his rather opinionated family depict a range of morals perhaps symbolising an advantageous way of living, ranging from the intense analysis and understanding of political figures, the reading of rather high callable pieces of literature and an effectual physical selection of activities to enhance the well-being of his children; for example, hunting, rock climbing and an extraordinarily harsh workout every day. From a passive spectators eye, this could be admirable, however, there is an immense division of values between this holistic family and the "normal" occurring life a few miles away. The American divide is certainly expressed in Captain Fantastic, through the use of mise-en-scene, film form and extensive symbolism in the film; a part tide between what is morally correct is bound to occur within an audience watching. The question I personally ask as a visceral viewer when watching this film is if there is truly any middle ground between the two distant extremes of opinions within US culture and what should you align with. 

The first scene I will be discussing is the university letter sequence; Ben and his eldest son Bo are at the local supplier near their home, Bo opens some letters that are addressed to him. All of these letters are from the top Ivy League universities in America, in which Bo has earned a place in them all. In a passive spectators eyes, this scene may not reflect any symbolism regarding the division between the family and contemporary US culture; however, this scene certainly depicts an immense separation between the morals of the family and the well-being of the children, this being the onward step into American society by going to university. The sequence uses a variety of film form to portray an inner-conflict for Bo; firstly, the setting is extremely emblematic, Bo is behind the store near a railway track in which a train is passing by. There is a physical barrier between Bo and Ben, the store serves as a metaphorical divide between staying loyal to the families cultural views and his future in the contemporary society deemed toxic and dangerous by his father Ben. Additionally, the train passes behind him in the far distance, the sound of screeching wheels projecting from the vehicle, the diegetic sound may be representative of Bo's perplexity on the situation. I certainly felt an "intelligent" response as a spectator to this moment, perhaps the train is also a symbol, I assume the train is going into the urban city, leaving the rural location Bo and his family are currently in, representing the choice he must make. A zoom in of the letters are shown, juxtaposing the deafening sound of the train, Bo should be ecstatic over his acceptance into these prestigious places of higher education, except for the following medium close up of his facial expressions showing distress and betrayal. The rejection of capitalism in the family is evident here; the issue is that Ben doesn't teach them any middle ground for the children to understand, thus ironic as this method of teaching may be just as bad as how America teaches capitalism and consumerism. Ben's alternative to contemporary society may not be any better, making him difficult to align with, forcing sympathy within spectators for Bo. 

The second scene that I personally think reflected contemporary US culture and societies divide is the "Dinner sequence". Ben and the family are at his wife's sister's house to stay over for a short while, it is the first time they have sat to eat a meal together in a long period of time, perhaps enhancing the awkward atmosphere to follow. Firstly, the two families never share the cinematic frame throughout the scene, Ben's family on one side of the table and her family on the other; a few of Ben's children spilling into the other families side. The table between the two families serve as a barrier between American consumerism and anti-American values (marxism). Additionally, the two boys in the other family are slouched on their chairs paying no attention to any conversation and playing war games on their phones; this use of mise-en-scene a representation of the consequences of materialism in contemporary US culture. Furthermore, their actions are a sign of disrespect at the dinner table, what is also ironic is that the video game on their phone is extremely violent, this is shocking to Ben's family as they were taught to be respectful when together as a family. The video game enhances the example the family portrays as a stereotypical American family, absorbed by the money making machine of capitalism. The editing is extremely fast paced switching between Harper's family, expressing an awkward mood in the scene, forcing feelings of uncomfortable within spectators. The mid close up shots of Ben's family shows their strong posture and demeanour, perhaps they are excited to have this experience. As spectators we notice how unequipped the family is for the real life, however it can be similar for Harper's kids due to a lack of concentration and charisma. This scene can certainly be a difficult moment when choosing who to align with, both families contain destructive characteristics, Harper's family being incredibly uneducated and the underage drinking king of Ben's family, creating a difficult scene when choosing who to align with and their divide in contemporary society, both families only being linked through the mother's death. 

Lastly, the final sequence I will be referring to is the "rock climbing" scene around the centre of the film as I believe it is extremely emblematic of the distance the family has with contemporary US culture. Ben's family are doing one of their vigorous physical exercises in their regimen that Ben encourages upon them. 

The cinematic framing to open the sequence is certainly affective, using an extreme wide shot portraying the vastness of the cliff and the family dangling on its side. Perhaps the wide shot used is reflective of their detachment from American society, there is no urban city around them, they are far from it in fact. Furthermore, the wide shot makes the family seem extremely small compared to the cliff, as an active viewer myself I assume this is symbolic of their way of living; they are miniature in the wide shot, representative of their minute affect on the wider world, even the children's lack of preparation in society. As the scene continues, Rellian suffers from a sudden fall and hurts his ankle severely in the process, his father Ben seems to shrug it off and tells him to "forget about it". In this moment, I question my alignment as a spectator. The cliff's enormous size definitely foreboded this moment, but the disregard from Ben creates a disheartening atmosphere. The children's physical abilities are certainly impressive, as spectators we respect Ben's decision to raise his family to be fit and healthy; however, as soon as this moment occurs our alignment can be reevaluated, because of Ben's intense effort to disassociate himself with American culture, he endangers his children while doing so. His negligence to Rellian's injury in this scene in my opinion was a warning to the future, ironically his daughter falls off a roof and ends up in hospital due to Ben's rash decisions to constantly break the expectations of contemporary America and teach this form of resilience that perhaps could create more problems in the long term. 

In conclusion, the film puts spectators in a difficult position; through performance and mise-en-scene our hearts go out the family and their struggles losing their mother, film form also contributes to our admiration of their intelligence. However, the camera work, repeated motif's and constant symbols throughout the film make us question their lifestyle. The divide is immense, the children certainly need the experience of living in contemporary US society, in fact, their intelligence could support them massively within each of their futures. Ben is providing them with useful elements of living, but his morals reflect a distance from what is truly what is needed to be secure in the real world we live in.