In this movie essay, i will talk about the movie Captain Fantastic. It is an American comedy-drama film about a family of Ben, her wife Leslie, and the children. It is a family drama in which the couples had contradicting ideas on how to raise the children. Leslie develops a bipolar mental problem and later commits suicide. Ben is antagonized by her wife’s family, and he is denied the opportunity to attend his wife’s funeral. Leslie’s wish of being cremated is not obeyed, and tension builds up between Ben and his in-laws.
In the movie, it is important to realize the building tension between the wife and her husband on the parenting routine. Ben’s cruelty and strictness on the children worry the mother who quarrels with him about it. The way that the kids were tolerating the Parenthood demonstrates that the father dependably comprehends what is best for the kids and it is, in this way, essential to regard the way he chooses to raise his children.
The controversy in the story starts when the wife commits suicide, and all the blame goes to Ben. He is denied that opportunity to accomplish the wish of his wife by Leslie’s parent and the war builds up in the funeral where tension developed on whether the children should be told the details of the deaths of their mother. The suggestion by Harper to take Bens children to school is strongly opposed by Ben claiming that the children do not know their bills of right.
The climax of the movie is at the point when Ben is denied the chance to attend the funeral service of his wife by Leslie’s family. He forces Jack to meet some of his grandchildren and forces his way to the graveyard which he is warned by the relatives to back off. His wish to obey his wife’s wish of cremation is also denied at this point.
The movie comes to a solution when Vesper gets an accident, and she is rushed to the hospital where the doctor explains how lucky she was not to be paralyzed. Ben acknowledges the danger of his residence and request their grandparent to stay with the children. There is bonding up between the children and the grandfather, and there is a reconciliation taking place in the movie. The children also express an interest to obey the wish of their mother of cremation. The mother is unburied, and all her wishes are met.
In the movie, several themes are brought up. The first one is the theme of family conflict. This is shown at different levels. The conflict between Ben and his wife, Leslie, on the parental care and formula. This leads to the wife developing a bipolar disorder and then commits suicide. The conflict is more severe between Ben his in- law. Family conflict is severe and in many cases it always leads to death or improper parental care. This is clearly shown by the nature of war that exists in the movie. The conflict led to the loss of Leslie as well as the separation of Ben from his children.
Another important theme that arises in the movie is the parental care. There is a problem in the way couples agreed to take care of their children, and in most cases, it leads to poor parenting or wrong parental strategies. The fact that Ben was cruel and strict towards his children made him unpopular and had a conflict with the rest of the family. It is, therefore, ideological not to involve the entire extended family in the raising of the children. There is a need for parents to understand that in parenthood, the comfort of the children must be taken care of. That is shown by the fact that Ben accept to surrender the children to the in- law to take care of them.
The ideology of the person to be in control of the couple wishes are always vested on the husband or the wife. Once the two people are married, they become one, and all the wishes of one couple must be taken care of by the other. This gives the theme of marriage in the current society. This is the reason why Ben was not settled until he was able to cremate Leslie’s body.
The movie also exploits the use of irony as a style of language. The irony comes in by the fact that, even though the cruelty nature of Ben’s parenthood, the children still adored him and coped up with the conditions he placed on them. Despite the fact that there was a constant complaint by the extended family. The children were never bothered, and they felt comfortable under the protection of their father.
In conclusion, the movie exploits the challenges that many families experience in the current society about the parenthood. There is the need to learn and acknowledge that it is important to be careful when family decisions are being made by the couples.