WORTH WATCHING

'Power to the People' Video Examines the Books in 'Captain Fantastic'

by Alex Billington
May 31, 2017
Source: YouTube

One of my favorite films of 2016 was Matt Ross' Captain Fantastic, starring Viggo Mortensen. It's the kind of film I can put on any day and it makes me happy, I adore it, and I was so happy to see Viggo get an Oscar nomination for his performance. Not only is a great film, but it has so much to teach us about raising kids, keeping an open mind, learning more about the way we interact in this world, and fighting against a capitalistic society. Fellow cinephile H Nelson Tracey, who writes for the site Cinemacy, has created a video essay breaking down and examining all of the books shown and literature referenced in the film. There's quite a few books referenced in this film, and if you're looking for some extra summer reading, this is a very good place to start. As I'm a very big fan of this film, I couldn't help sharing this video. Check it out.

Thanks to Nelson for first telling me about this at Sundance. For more info and a full list of references, visit YouTube and click "Show More". I love the way this video is put together - with the footage side-by-side to the book, even opening to specific chapters referenced. I even want all the t-shirts he points out (like the No Fractura Hidráulica one). My favorite books that are referenced in this film: The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, Who Rules the World by Noam Chomsky, Because We Say So by Noam Chomsky, The Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort, Fascism vs. Capitalism by Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr., and Samadhi: Personal Journeys to Spiritual Truth by Derek Biermann. There's so many great references he found in this that I haven't even noticed yet. Can we get one of these video essays for every intelligent film, please?

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