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Captain Fantastic (Ross, 2015) - Coggle Diagram
Captain Fantastic (Ross, 2015)
Spectatorship
Opening scene
- High angle shot of forest creates sense of voyeurism in the audience
- Animalistic presentation of Cash family through camouflaged costumes, killing and eating of deer creates opposition between family and spectator, making them difficult to align with
- This could lead to oppositional reading of the film - Cash family are not worthy of respect - killing of the deer acts an enigma code
- This contrasts later scene where the family appear reading around the campfire - discussions of literature and warm lighting used to create a sense of intelligence and a loving family atmosphere - may cause alignment
Identification with Ben
- Key moments encourage identification with Ben eg dealing with his grief - hallucinations of his late wife are close-up POV shots, encouraging alignment
- However Ross often complicates the spectator's identification with Ben - encouraging them to actively question his parenting approach
- Ben's youngest child, Nai, is given a copy of 'The Joy of Sex' which is later replaced by a hunting knife - encouraging spectators to actively question his parenting and morals
- Ben's Noam Chomsky celebrations (an anti-war, anti-capitalism figure of the New Left) take place using stolen food, and Ross uses close ups of the children grabbing cake in a savage manner - comparison to animals and further questioning Ben's parenting
Allegiance
- CF represents two contrasting life approaches - Ben and Jack's - Ross invites the spectator to actively consider their allegiance to each character, the audience are forced to decide who they agree with the most - this is also influenced by spectators' own experiences
- Alternative education and anti-authority messages throughout encourage spectator to actively consider their allegiance and positions on the ideas presented
- Jack represents the mainstream American response to Ben's alternative parenting and ideals
Alignment
- Final shot of the film lingers extensively on the family in their new home/life - audience are given the spatio-temporal proximity to create an emotional response and actively decide how they interpret the ending - eg Ben is pleased and satisfied with his new adapted life, or regrets reverting back to mainstream society
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Audience expectations
- The film being arthouse and a festival success may have created an expectation its politics will be clearly liberal and left-wing - however the film's more balanced approach to ideology may challenge audience expectations
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Ideology
Anti-authority messages
- Featured throughout including the scene where children pretend to be a Christian cult to reassure a police officer - clear mocking of this and how society accepts this
- Recurring quotes include 'Power to the people' and 'Stick it to the man' - representing resistance to authority
Ben's ideology
- Ben's ideologies and values are far-left as he rejects capitalism and consumerism, and celebrates communist leaders such as Noam Chomsky, Karl Marx and Chairman Mao
Education system
- Bill of Rights sequence comments on American schooling system and criticises it - however the notion Ben's approach to education is superior is later questioned by Bodevan who tells his father he is 'ill-prepared' for the world
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Key scenes
Supermarket scene/Noam Chomsky Day
- Use of song 'Rebel Girl' by feminist punk rock band Bikini Kill - represents the family's 'revolution' against the capitalist society, perhaps encourages allegiance and support for the characters
- Ben's feigned heart attack could be read as commenting on the American medical system - links to Ben's critiques of Americans being 'overmedicated'
- Ben's encouragement of his children to steal and celebrate Noam Chomsky Day could be read as bad parenting and political indoctrination - he brands stealing from the supermarket as a revolutionary political act - 'mission free the food', which he rewards them with cake for
- Rellian's rejection of celebrating Noam Chomsky Day and wish to celebrate Christmas and conventional holidays represents the need for political balance - Ben's propaganda of controversial political figures is shown as both educational and dangerous
- Rellian and Ben's conflicting views represent a negotiated reading
- This represents a negotiated reading - Rellian and Ben's conflicting views are both represented - however when Rellian expresses his view, Ross uses a high angle, over-the-shoulder shot perhaps to represent Rellian's inferiority (possibly in Ben's view)