He Prepared Them for Everything Except the Outside World.|Jul. 02, 2016|USA|118 Min.|R
Genre: Adventure;Drama
Description: **Storyline:**
Ben Cash, along with his wife Leslie and their six children, lives in the wilderness of Washington. Both Ben and Leslie are former left-wing anarchist activists who have become disillusioned with capitalism and modern American society. They have chosen to raise their children in a unique way, teaching them survival skills, critical thinking, physical fitness, and self-reliance while avoiding technology. Instead of traditional holidays like Christmas, they celebrate nature and even mark Noam Chomsky’s birthday.
Leslie, who suffers from bipolar disorder, is hospitalized and later dies by suicide. Ben learns that Leslie’s father, Jack, plans to hold a traditional funeral despite Leslie’s wish to be cremated. After a heated argument, Jack threatens to have Ben arrested if he attends the funeral. Initially, Ben decides not to go and prevents his children from attending, but he later changes his mind and takes them on a journey into the world outside their secluded life.
The family stays briefly with Ben’s sister, Harper, and her husband. They argue over whether Ben’s children should attend a conventional school, but Ben demonstrates that his children are more knowledgeable than Harper’s. At Leslie’s funeral, Ben reads her will, which instructs her family to cremate her and flush her ashes down the toilet. Jack has Ben forcefully removed from the funeral.
As the journey continues, Ben’s children begin to question his parenting. His son Rellian accuses him of neglecting Leslie’s mental health, and his son Bodevan reveals that Leslie had secretly helped him apply to Ivy League schools, criticizing Ben for not preparing them for the real world. Rellian eventually decides he wants to live with his grandparents, who seek custody of all the children. When Ben’s daughter Vespyr falls from a roof while trying to “rescue” Rellian, Ben, filled with guilt, allows Jack to take the children. Despite bonding with their grandparents, the children secretly follow Ben when he leaves.
Cast director: Matt Ross
Cast actor: Viggo Mortensen, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Steve Zahn, George MacKay, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell, Trin Miller, Kathryn Hahn
Original name: Captain Fantastic