Captain Fantastic - Detailed Sequence Analysis

Deer Sequence:
- Tracking shots of deer, surrounded by leaves, within its natural habitat
- For Native Americans, the deer was an animal of power
- When the family kill the deer, they are stealing its territory where they don't belong
- They are covered in mud, introduced to the family in an unconventional way (they are an unconventional family)
- Family act like they are unamerican but do the very American thing of taking other people's land and making it their home
- The deer is shown from a distance, no close-ups, family gets close-ups, even though this is the deer's home, the family are shown in more detail - even a family seemingly in touch with nature are divided from it

Shoplifting Sequence:
- Shaky hand-held camera, family are out of their element
- The concept of faking a heart-attack and teaching your children to steal is very deplorable for the spectator - alignment may shift away from Ben
- Even though chain supermarkets are a big sign of consumerism in America, Ben is doing something morally wrong by stealing, raises the question of how he fit he is to be a father
- Animalistic, similar to playing dead to avoid being caught

Dinner Sequence:
- Clearest example of the American divide - modern American family on one side (kids on phones, euphemising the death of the mother, eating civilly) compared to the Fantastic family on the other (kids drinking wine, Ben talks about the mother's death in great detail, eating wildly) - both sides are questionable
- The table is small enough so that the families spill into each other on the sides of the table, showing that there isn't room in America for these two distinct ways of life to co-exist 
- Camera at medium close-up, even though the families share the same meal at the same table, it is their minds and personalities that are causing conflict, mirrors America (background out of focus, egos taking over)
- Raises the question for the spectator whether it is better to sugar-coat the truth for children or tell them honestly

‘Captain Fantastic reflects the extent to which contemporary US culture and society is divided.’




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