TulaneLSU review of Captain Fantastic (2016)

Let's be honest here: no one likes me. Part of this I bring on myself. I am opinionated and judgmental. From disagreement I do not seek outside refuge. I typically do not care if you agree with my opinion or if you hate my opinion. It's an opinion or belief: I am right and you, most likely, are wrong. It may come across as supercilious, but trust that my opinions are not constructed flippantly and they are forged with such a heavy anvil and hammer few could wield it.

When one is unliked, he or she spends much time alone. So it is with me: my days when I work not, I simply am left to my own devices. In order to stay away from the snares of Satan, I spend significant time devoted to the arts: prayer, reading, dining, and watching movies, perhaps America's greatest contributions to the arts. Gratefully, these activities can be undertaken and enjoyed alone.

The furnace of solitude produces refinement. Even if I were a palatable individual with whom some would desire to spend time, would I so desire? Of that I am uncertain. Would I be able to truly appreciate these things if I were yoked with the sensibilities of another?

I pondered these and other questions as I considered my late night viewing of Captain Fantastic. The film's protagonist reminded me quite a bit of myself: confident in his opinions, condescending to others' opinions, aloof, encyclopedic in his academic learning, and ultimately, scared, sad and solitudinous.

How can a man who, on his own, raises six children, be alone in solitude? It is because he actually is not raising his children. He is cloning himself, creating an army of little mini-Bens. Constructing his civitate contra paganos is his goal, and all who disagree with him are the pagans, be they fundamentalist Christians, aristocrats, or average public school children. He believes himself to be a revolutionary, one who knows better than all the world. He is a modern gnostic, a character who has lost sight and meaning of the world. The world to him is evil, ignorant, unworthy, and he passes this worldview to his children. As he tourniquets his children from the pulse of the world, he and his children begin to resemble the sheltered, conservative Christians he so angrily derides. It is true that two extremes in the human spectrum eventually begin to look alike.

There is a time to seek and give shelter from the world, but just as Christ came into the world to live among us, so too are people supposed to live in the world. Retreats are necessary, but our lives are not to be retreats nor vacations. This revelation comes to him near the end of the film, as his revolutionary city's walls fall and are broken.

I quite enjoyed this film, as it allowed me to see some of my sins in its lead character. These sins I hope one day to overcome so that I may enter a community of love.

Rating: 7.3