This 4.3-rated film earned Viggo Mortensen an Oscar nomination

Captain Fantastic, what is it?

In the remote forests of the northwestern United States, a family lives in self-sufficiency. Ben (Viggo Mortensen), a devoted family man, has devoted his entire life to growing his six young children into extraordinary adults.

But when fate strikes them, they must abandon the paradise they had created for themselves and reluctantly join the outside world. The discovery of this reality will force Ben to question his methods of education and question everything he has taught his children.

A fable as tender as it is cruel, between dream and reality

Lost in the mountains of Washington, the Cash family seems to be living a waking dream. The rivers sing in the coolness of the woods, the children play and learn alongside their parents, are fed with healthy and natural products…

Matt Ross’ gaze, like in a documentary, wanders through the lush greenery and lingers on the details with which it teems, from the bark of the tall trees to the tender embraces of the family who have created their haven of peace there.

Despite this simple life, the Cash are nonetheless cultured people. Between two family sports sessions, the readings of literary classics follow one another, mingle with political and philosophical conversations… Conflict has no place between them, where dialogue, thought and the family are kings.

But violence, absent from the home, obviously ends up entering their lives following a dramatic incident. Forced to get closer to the Men they have always fled from, the Cash find themselves immersed in an environment that is not theirs.

Hard and cruel, sometimes funny despite everything, this confrontation replaces the first observation of the family in its environment. From a fascinating wilderness documentary, Captain Fantastic moves into an even more exciting encounter between two worlds. That of sweet dreamers, straight from an ideal world, and that of reality.

A touching family portrait, carried by brilliant performers

Rewarded at Cannes for his staging, Captain Fantastic was also nominated for an Oscar for the extraordinary performance of its main performer. Unforgettable in the Lord of the Rings saga, but also in Green Book, the Dane Viggo Mortensen is troubling in his role as a nonconformist and lunar father, yet steeped in good intentions and love for his family.

At his side, George MacKay (1917), Samantha Isler (Le Grand Jeu) or even Annalize Basso (Snowpiercer) shine with the same maturity as their characters, sensitive children who have become adults too quickly.

Copyright Mars Films

Fascinating confrontation between two lives, that of the ideal and that of reality, Captain Fantastic is sometimes cruel, sometimes burlesque, but never ceases to move or seduce with the strength of its images and its performers.

A nugget to discover from June 16, exclusively on UniversCiné.