CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016)

Matt Ross directed this film from his own original screenplay about a father with six children who chooses to raise them off the grid in the Pacific Northwest, while schooling them in the arts, mathematics, free thinking and wilderness survival among many things. With his wife away in a mental hospital battling bi-polar disorder, she commits suicide, prompting him to take his children to the funeral that his wealthy, estranged father-in-law is preparing in New Mexico. Though his children are all quite remarkable and would give Albert Einstein a run for his money they really do not have the social skills to survive in the outside world. He comes to realize this through some painful realizations and comes to compromise his values so that his children will not become outsiders. This is a beautiful piece of filmmaking and one where the screenplay could well be nominated for an Academy Award. The excellent cast includes a great performance from Viggo Mortensen as the Dad, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, Frank Langella and Ann Dowd.