Captain Fantastic (2016)

Synopsis

Captain Fantastic is about a father (and recent widower), Ben Cash (portrayed by Viggo Mortensen), who looks after his six children in a remote Washington forest, teaching them the fundamentals of surviving without any distractions of greedy capitalistic agendas. By instilling survivalist skills (hunting, foraging, rock/tree climbing, building fire/shelter) and left wing ideologies, Ben hopes his children will grow up to become independent and critical of their environments. Although Captain Fantastic focuses on Ben's unconventional family as they leave the wilderness and embark on a cross-country journey, in my opinion the true message of this film is about countering the dangers of capitalism with a self-sustainable lifestyle.  

Discussion

Watching this movie I couldn't help but make connections between the Cash family and the lifestyle of anarchists who practise forms of anti-consumption in order to reject the power structures of capitalist societies. By refusing to indulge his family in common social activities (city life, public schooling, eating processed food, purchasing goods), Ben Cash creates a "do it yourself" environment that promotes creating the things one needs, as opposed to exploiting labourers and animals through the support of capitalist industries and institutions. An example of this is evident through the family's method of growing their own food and hunting animals; by applying a 'do it yourself' practise to their food consumption, the Cash family embraces an anti-capitalistic philosophy. Although rejecting forms of consumption marketed by authoritative consumerist ideologies can probably lead to a healthier and far enjoyable lifestyle, I personally think it's a bit impractical in today's mainstream society. Now, I'm not saying that anti-consumerism is necessarily a bad thing, I just personally think its pretty far fetched that a mother or father would go to such extreme lengths to shield their family from formal political structures.

Without electricity or television, how will the Cash family ever stay up to date with the latest Game of Thrones episode? 

Freeganism 

Continuing on the topic of anti-consumerist ideologies, one particular scene comes to mind that depicts Ben Cash and his six children shoplifting from a grocery store while making a pit stop on their road trip. This extreme act of anti-consumerism is a form of Freeganism, which essentially is an ideology that includes the consumption of discarded food, mostly through the practice of 'dumpster diving'. Although 'freegans' often scavenge for food through dumpsters, some also choose to shop lift as an act of rejecting capitalism, an image all too familiar with Captain Fantastic. Rather than eating at a local diner, Ben Cash fakes a heart attack at a grocery store as way to distract the employees so his children can steal items of food. Ben justifies this act of theft through a 'freegan' mentality, stating they're "just taking what The Man already took from them". 

Whether or not you agree with Ben Cash's anarchist methods of raising his family, there is no denying that anti-consumption and freeganism is an integral component of rejecting capitalism. Do you think anti-consumption as a lifestyle can be beneficial for North American families? Or does it simply promote an anarchist agenda?

Source: Portwood-Stacer, L. (2012). “Anti-consumption as tactical resistance: Anarchists, subculture, and activist strategy”, Journal of Consumer Culture 12(1) 87–105