Tous les élèves de 3ème du collège Paul Doumer ont pu voir le film « Captain Fantastic » en version originale sous-titrée dans le cadre du festival Polyglotte 2018. Les élèves de 3B, 3C et 3E ont écrit un résumé et une critique du film.
«CAPTAIN FANTASTIC»
Cast: Viggo MORTENSEN, George MACKAY
Director : Matt ROSS
Date: 2016
Tagline: «Power to the people. Stick it to the man!»
3 Film Summaries:
This story is about a family who lives in a forest. The mother of the family is in a hospital as she has a disease. The father gives a strict education to the children, running in the mountains and climbing. They are very cultivated. The family members mourn their mother’s death ; the family decides to go to the burial. In the mother’s testament it is said that the mother wanted her body to be cremated and not buried. The children want to « save » their mother from the burial. However, the mother’s parents do not agree with the father and the children. The grandparents are christians whereas the mother was a buddhist. So they want to bury her body. The family cremates the body of the mother and put her ashes in the toilet. In the end, the family lives a peaceful life and the eldest son travels around the world. (Léa RR – 3B)
This film is about a family who lives in the forest. They are six children and their father. Their mother is not with them, she is at the hospital as she is sick. One day Ben, the father, calls his sister and learns that his wife commited suicide. He tells it to his children and that makes them angry as they want to go to their mother’s burial. However, the grandfather disagrees. After debating, they decide to go there. When they enter the church, Ben speaks in front of everybody and reads the testament of his wife. She wanted to be cremated but her parents don’t care. Then, after an accident, the father decides to leave his children with their grandparents but the children go away to return with their father. Now they have to choose: stealing their mother’s body and respecting the wish of their mother or…not risking the jail for their father… (Lucie M – 3C)
The film is about a strange and special family, which is composed of three boys, three girls and a father. The mother is not here, because we learn that she committed suicide in a hospital. So, the family decides to go to her burial, because she wanted to be cremated, and they want to respect her wish. However, the grandfather doesn’t want them to come, especially the father. The grandfather wants to have the custody of his grandchildren, but they refuse the proposition, and stay with their father, to cremate the mother’s body, and to throw her ashes in the public toilets, as she wanted. At the beginning, a child does not like his father, because he thinks that he killed his mother, but at the end, he really likes him. (Ethan L – 3E)
Students’ Reviews:
1. Do you like the film ? Why ?
I like the film because …
– I like the film because the story of this family has moved me a lot. (Sarah)
– I like the film I think the education of the father is good as the children are very cultivated. I think that the grandfather’s opinion is wong and I like very much the relation inside the family (brothers, sisters, father). The family is connected. (Elsa)
– I like the film, it is a very good production because we can see different ways of life, the father has a very good education for the children. Also it is about education. (Laurie)
– I like this film because it is a very beautiful story, but also because the family is united. (Memina)
– I think that it is an extraordinary and spectacular movie because the children kill animals, climb mountains. However it is extremely dangerous to live in the forest for the children. They do not go to school because the father teaches them. (Manon T)
– I love this film as it is funny : the children of the city family are a cliche for the children of the city. (Mathéo F)
– I like this film because this film is sometimes funny for example when the father has no clothes. However this film is also moving for example at the mother’s death. And this film is interesting as their education is very special. (Lena)
– I like this movie because it makes you think about how to live and it is very interesting.(Tom)
– In my opinion this film is an efficient film because there are good moments when they decide never to give up their mother, and also touching moments when they cremate the body of the mother and when the father loses his children. So I think it is a good film. (Julie M)
– I like the film as it is simple to understand and because it is original and it tells a different story also it shows a different life. I do not know if I like this way of like because the children are sometimes in danger. And it is bad to steal the food anf the body of the burial. (Eva)
I like the film but …
– It is a good film because there is action but it is sad. I don’t like this story because there are moments which are long and there is no action. (Awen)
– I like this film because it is realistic however I think it is not very good to live in the forest because there is a young child, plus the children have no friends. (Séréna)
– I like the film however the moment when their mother is dead is very sad. (Anais P)
– I like the film because it shows us an other way of life, but I think it’s a bit too long. (Charly)
– I like the film because it shows different people and the children can defend themselves but I do not like the very long sequences.(Maela)
– I think it is a good film however I don’t like it because the story is so sad. (Lyam)
I don’t like when …
– I don’t like when a girl has an accident and goes to the hospital because she wanted to get her brother. However, I like when the family is together. I think that the family likes to live in the forest. (Romane)
– I don’t like the moment when the grandparents refuse the family at the burial and when they want to keep the children. (Sarah)
– I don’t like when a little child keeps the animals’ bodies.(Lilian)
I don’t like the film because …
– I think that the film is too long, difficult to understand . I don’t like to the film as it is too much complicated to understand. (Luna)
– I do not like the film because the film is slow. (Tristan)
– I think it is dangerous for the children to live in the forest but the children are very cultivated. I totally agree about practising activities but not dangerous. I don’t like the film.(Tess)
My favorite moment in the film …
– I think, my best moment is when the family takes the body of the mother. (Amandine)
– I like the end because the family is charming. (Amandine)
– I like the end as the family is happy. I think that it is difficult for the children not to live with their mother as the children love their mother. (Carla)
2. What do you think of the father’s education ?
I like the father’s education …
– In my opinion the father is perfect. (Rivana)
I don’t agree with the father’s education …
– In my opinion, the father’s education is not very good for the children and they never see society. (Amandine)
– I think the father should not teach children to kill because they could hurt themselves. However, they know their homework better than a child who goes to school and learns. It’s a great movie. (Chloé M)
– I think the children do not have a good education because they live with their father.The grandfather wants the welfare of his grandchildren. (Ludivine)
– In my opinion the education of the father in not adapted for the children because they are young and it is not sufficient because the children are not sociable. I think the children should go to the grandfather because he has money to help the children. (Malcom)
– I think that we can live in the forest however not for a long time because we can be disconnected from the outside world, like the news, phone, internet,music, book… (Nolwen)
– The father doesn’t give a good education but he wants to live with his children. The father loves his children. (Léa R)
– I do not think that the father’s education is good, because the children are not prepared for the real world. However I like it, because the children are very smart and cultivated, which is really rare today. I do not like the grandfather, because he wants to separate the father and the children. (Ethan)
– I believe that the father’s education is dangerous, because he gives knives to his children. (Marie)
– But I think that the father teaches them to survive. (Quentin Me)
I agree with the father’s education but …
– I think that it is funny as they live in the forest. However I do not agree with killing animals for eating. The children have a large general culture however they do not go to school. They have no friends, it is a pity. I do not agree with the grandparents opinion. (Julie)
I think the children want …
– The children want to go to school to live normally. (Alison)
– I agree with the grandfather but I think that the children like their lives. (Maëline)
– In my opinion the children are happy with their lives. They sing at the cremation of the mother and they have respected her will. (Anais PN)
I think …
– I think children need to go to school. (Flavie)
– I do not agree with the grandfather because it is not his children. They are the chidren of the father .
3. In your opinion what is the message of the film ?
– I think that the film tells about different educations in the world. (Marion)
– I like the film as it is against the consumer society, for example when the child asks «What is Cola?» and Ben answers «It is poison». (Louka)
– After watching this film, I had lots of questions. In my opinion, the film is supposed to give us an other image of the world. We don’t know if it is better to live in the forest and being smarter than the children who live in the city. However learning everything by heart is it really being smarter? Is it better to live in society but having some distractions like video games, TV, friends etc. (Lucie M)
– I think that the film conveys the message that without taking account of society one can educate his children totally freely. (Zina)
– In my opinion, the film is surreal as the children are too smart. I do not agree with the grandparents as the mother was buddhist and she wanted to be incinerated, they do not respect her wish. I do not agree with the father’s education as the children have no relationship with other people. The children are not robots. I like this film because we understand that each parent has a different way of educating their children but that they all have the same love for their children. (Léa RR)
– This film tells us not to abandon if we have a dream. (Loyse)
– I have seen the film two times. For me, it is a very good life lesson. At the end of the film, the children go to school to learn Human relations. They do not live in a forest or in a city, they live in the country. And they respect the decision and liberty of their mother as they have cremated her body as she wanted in her testament. This is the best film you can imagine ever. A beautiful story about a fantastic family. (Lucie G)
– For me the message of the film is : respect other people’s opinion. But I think that it is complicated for the father. (Manon L)
Thank you to the Polyglotte and Paradiso associations for this event, to the school and the parents for their financial contributions and thank you to the students for their ideas and opinions