Captain Fantastic

Captain Fantastic

Unconventional family drama from writer-director Matt Ross. Viggo Mortensen stars as Ben, a father raising his six children Bodevan (George MacKay), Kielyr (Samantha Isler), Vespyr (Annalise Basso), Rellian (Nicholas Hamilton), Zaja (Shree Crooks) and Nai (Charlie Shotwell) in the isolated forests of the Pacific Northwest. As a result of their rural location the children have been sheltered from popular culture supplemented with Ben's rigorous home-schooling which imparts to them a left-leaning education in which Noam Chomsky's birthday is celebrated as if it's Christmas.

When a tragic event propels the family unit into reality, they find themselves much at odds with their fellow citizens and Ben's parenting methods are scrutinised. The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Mortensen), the BAFTA for Best Leading Actor (Mortensen) and the Academy Award for Best Actor (Mortensen).