An unconventional parenthood in "Captain Fantastic"
The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "nature-man" can achieve some form of "enlightenment" through a kind of "social contract" - that is, when one enters into society. But for the patriarch in Matt Ross' " Captain Fantastic " (2016, USA), winner of the Un Certain Regard Best Director in this year's Cannes, this seems to function in reverse: true enlightenment can be experienced when one completely shuns him/herself from the hypocritical/superficial/consumerist trappings of modern civilization. This is something which is actually more in keeping with the Greek philosopher Plato's Cave, the dwellers of which must always ensure that they are not deceived by the "illusory" or "artificial" knowledge that can seep in from the "outside". This concept is something that can be pretty much alienating or strange to mainstream moviegoers, being applied as it is within the context of a family in the fil...