Viewing experience: a fully structured speculative journey

Janelle 2022-04-22 07:01:07

At first I really thought it was an interesting hero war movie, but it turned out to be a well-structured speculative journey. The whole film aims to explore the contemporary education system. Even if it is the Western education we yearn for, there are still many shortcomings. Do we really have the courage to cast aside the system that is deeply rooted in our minds?
What is very interesting is that although the film starts by abandoning capitalism, it is not just a simple criticism, but a debate on the opposite side, which makes the structure of the whole film more complete.

Kathy and his wife, living in the wilderness with their six children, chose to abandon American life and capitalism in favor of inculcating philosophy and left-wing politics in their children, teaching them critical thinking, training them in wilderness survival skills so that they would have healthy body.
When their mother committed suicide due to illness, the children returned to America enslaved by capitalism, and the children who broadened their horizons started a debate with their father.

To be honest, at the beginning, I couldn't be very involved in the movie, because there are many lines and parts that I am very unfamiliar with, so it was very difficult to watch at first, but the closer you get to the middle, the more difficult it is for me. The noun is not the point, but looking at how this "extraordinary" group of kids see capitalism and the father Casey who taught them to oppose it all.

I think this film can be roughly divided into three parts. The first part is about Casey's reasons for opposing American life, the middle part is when the children are exposed to "money" and they begin to question their father's education methods, and the latter part is the debate between the two parties, Concession, and acceptance; in short, it is a very clear work of "inheritance and transition".

I think the most exciting part of the whole film is the process of children starting to "civilize".
These children know the content of the Bill of Rights, and even memorize the articles, but they don't know Nike and Adidas; they are full of poetry and books, but they are out of touch with the society.
"Books" can only lead us to a certain stage, but the rapid current of society can push us to a deeper and farther place.
But is this really wrong?
Is it necessary to follow the norms of society?
Do you have to wear black clothes and black pants to attend a funeral, with a solemn expression and tears streaming down your face?
When children just follow their mother's last wishes, dress colorfully and dance, are they alien?
The purpose of social system is to regulate rather than use it as a measure. Those who follow are not necessarily correct, and those who violate it are not necessarily wrong. The real standard may be based on heart, not who decides that. 's guidelines.

I like the interaction of this family very much. Although looking at the standard of being a "civilized person", it is indeed a group of out-of-order children, but they are knowledgeable and not proud, and communicate with people in a very simple and warm way; Such character traits would easily convince me of Casey's longstanding anti-Americanism.
Among them, I like this sentence very much:
"If you think that there is no hope, you have to confirm that there is really no turning point; if you think that you still have the instinct to pursue freedom, and there is still a chance to change everything, it is possible to do your best to make the world change. Be better." From the anti-American radical philosopher Chomsky, this sentence coincides with the theme of the whole film.

There must be many different voices in this world, and everyone's way of doing things is different, just like the way of education that Casey insists on is different from modern Western education, but no matter what, everyone hopes that their family, this society, Even if the world is moving in a better direction, even if the methods are different and may not even agree with each other, the goal is the same.
What we should really do is to listen, communicate, and communicate with each other, so that everyone's thoughts are freer, rather than restricting others with their own thoughts, so that everyone can truly realize their own instinct to pursue freedom. Just like in the end, after the children and Casey communicated, they also compromised and reached a consensus. He let the children start school education, but still maintain a lifestyle of being in company with nature.

The ending is very good, but the turning points and the ideas to be conveyed are worthy of our careful study and consideration.

And I wouldn't classify this film as a road film, just because part of the story background of this film is set on the road, but I think it is a serious educational film. Even if you want to watch it in a normal mood, you must not be able to watch this film easily, because the ideas that this film wants to convey and our life can be said to be completely overlapping but almost opposite, but he is very good The structure and gentle attitude of the narrative make viewers willing to spend double or even triple or quadruple their time thinking about "our own thoughts", "the film's position", "the strengths and weaknesses of both", and "how to strike a balance between the two"...etc.

And I really hope that you can also think about our deep-rooted concepts and prejudices through this film. Are they necessarily correct?

You may also find that I keep emphasizing the "gentle way of storytelling" because I think it's an important attitude when it comes to expressing one's position.
You can find that the attitude of the whole film is not tough, but just constantly expresses your own position confidently, which is very interesting and smooth to break the viewer's heart. At the same time, he also adds the ideas you support, and Have a heated but peaceful debate, which means that your mind is part of the film, you are part of the film, so even though the ideas that the film emphasizes may not be what you want to accept or identify with, you can It makes viewers start to think about some issues that are rarely touched on, and this also achieves the purpose of this film.

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Extended Reading

Captain Fantastic quotes

  • Ben: It's a beautiful mistake. But a mistake.

  • [first lines]

    Ben: [family gathers around the slain deer] Today, the boy is dead. And in his place... is a man.

    Bo: [rips off a bloody bite of the offered morsel]