CAPTAIN FANTASTIC... do you see your father as a hero or a villain?

Have you ever thought about the meaning of build and raise a family? Most of people has the idea of having a family as a goal in their lives when the perfect timing comes to that, after a successful and lovely relationship, what better next step, right?, others get just trapped on it by circumstances and either will bring the best of them or will turn into a nightmare for al the involved. In this case we'll focus on the first. The one that is make by choice. When a couple, fall in love and sharing ideals and goals want to expand them into others by bringing kids to their small world and start expanding. But what means to raise a child? We all have heard is the hardest commitment anyone has and lot of sacrifices will have to overcome your personal needs. That's parenthood. And also will be the biggest love anyone can experienced towards another person, even more than your partner. The fact of raising a baby through the journey of childhood to adulthood when we can see everything we've been investing is, sharing some of ourselves in this new person that might look like us or at like us. Its overwhelming but also exciting and so powerful that has changed society since the beginning of human raze. Family has become the center of any society as becomes that place that nurture us and build the individuals that populate this world with cons and perks but still is the place where we all come from and can be the safest or the scariest.

And usually comes to the mother to take care of the kids, to spend the most time with them while father goes out and make some money to support the family. That's the traditional way. But things have changed. We not longer live in the XX century and roles had switched and most important the concept of family has take another ways for better or worse. This is "Captain Fantastic" (2016), a new film that got great reviews from some movie critics as from it's run through some of the most popular movie festivals. Why? maybe because is a well done story about a father trying to raise his kids after losing their mom or because this guy is trying to fight for what he believes and had shared with his family as a mantra and there's no other option but to stick on it and prove he is right or wrong. Or maybe because is a well done story with a charming cast that will get you from the beginning just to take you to the core of a very unique family that is trying to stick together and embrace their way of life while fighting with other's judgment like a new version of the Von Trap family, all leading by the man, the father in charge, in the skin of actor Viggo Mortensen, that brings a unique and different performance but still fitting into other roles as father that has performed successfully. So if you ready to laugh, cry and open your mind be ready for a new perspective in cinema that will bring you new perspectives and topics to discuss afterwards over dinner.

What are we talking about? the fact that this family is not traditional at all. The story follows a family of six that rejects society and all forms of cosmopolitan structure, capitalism among all. How do we all embrace all things that seem natural for everybody. The way society acts by ruling their lives seeking power and money. Being raised from the beginning surrounded by all this and pushed to achieve either or both. How branded our daily lives are that we cat even name a food without relating it to a brand. We have food cravings based on menus created just to produce food for the masses and we like that, not even caring what we are consuming or putting in our mouth. We are more concern about pop culture than history or watching sports than actually being active and exercise. And all this seems familiar and normal until we start thinking about it or someone show us different. Exactly as this particular family will do. Two hippies raising their six kids in the woods, far away from society and cities, where technology rules and everybody wants to have or be the best next thing. Here they are them. They are this unique group of people that sings with their own voices and instruments and read and learn from the books, practicing with each other just to help their siblings to be better and show them what the other already learned.

The reason why they chose this way of life comes from a rejection from excess. The mother was raised very wealth off and saw all what money can buy and that made her sick to the point of quit and move away from all that with an ideal of proving that things can be better in different ways so their own family won't have to see and struggle what she did. But life is full of surprises and also made her ill, suffering from bipolar, ended with her life just to leave her husband and love of her life in charge and alone with six kids to raise by himself. But the real journey will begin once the family get the sad news and are prohibited by their grandfather to come to see their mom one last time. They need closure and the want to say goodbye to her mom but specially they want to follow her last wishes to be cremated and throw the ashes to a toilet. Yes, that's what she wanted and they, as her family are willing to make it happen even if that takes fighting against their powerful grandfather. So a new journey will begin for all of them, traveling from home, deep in the woods, where the climb rocks as part of their training to the concrete streets of the city where they will meet more family like their cousins that will see them as a bunch of freaks that maybe very well educated but are lacking of personal experiences that also help to anybody to grow up and become into a strong and confident person when is time to face the world and socialize.

So what would be better option? to become fluent in six different languages and have all the knowledge of a 50 year old man that has read as many books as possible in half of a life time while having a healthy, active, lovely life with his family and nature or being exposed to the world, through society and civilization just to ace the fact that we can be trapped by others ideas or ideals, and we ended spending time in worthless things instead of focusing on becoming a better person, just to be more aware of others lives than ours? Well, at least there is always about perspective, it can be two sides of the story of more, but definitely always will be someone that wants more, that wants to try and have something different from what we've been told. As humans, the unknown could be as tempting and fascinating as security or be on the comfort zone, so when different ideals collide won't be a fair judgment or resolution but let anyone explore and make their own mind for themselves but the fear of let your love ones go out there and explore with all the risks that come with the is any parent biggest fear but if your ideal is to prove things can be different by rejecting what has been told for years and explore new tendencies and ideas, would be hypocrite to say no when someone won't agree with you the same way you do with others, so it's only the love of a father and the fantastic leadership to take your kids through their own personality to embrace their own life and vision of the world will make the captain of a ship that moves towards a better self full of love, peace and knowledge. Would you?