There are movies that inspire us, and? Captain Fantastic? He’s one of them. Regardless of personal tastes, this film leaves no one indifferent; Moreover, his approach does not hide his desire to provoke or his intention for the viewer to feel an earthquake in his chair; with a bold look, it addresses issues as controversial as American culture and independent education. Their positions are radical and critical, but also sincere and open to criticism.
Through psychology we can make different interpretations of Captain Fantastic, however, in this article we will focus on some psychocultural aspects, that is, we will describe how certain behaviors that appear in the film may seem strange or eccentric, when in fact they are very common in other cultures.
- If you haven’t seen the movie “Fantastic Captain.
- ” this article can cheer you up.
- However.
- We would like to point out that the article contains SPOILERS.
- We try to put as little as possible so that the film does not lose the ability to surprise everyone who sees it for the first time.
The beginning of the film is marked by a lot of blood. The eldest of the brothers seems to be hunting a single deer with a machete. This image may seem confusing; When you’re done watching the movie, you may not even understand why it started. To understand this, you must resort to cultures that have initiation rites into adulthood.
Many cultures have initiation rituals. These rituals can be very different and occur at different ages in each culture, mark the beginning of life in adulthood, the realization of these rituals makes children aware that childhood is over and that they must begin to behave as adults.
In modern societies, these rituals have been lost, as a result, many people are confused and do not realize that they are beginning to be adults, for example, in the United States it is considered the age of majority at 18. are still prohibited from drinking alcoholic beverages. They are held responsible for some things, but not others. This can be confusing.
In addition, rituals, especially the most difficult ones, are used to create a bond between people; in this case, a deeper link between family members; if the characters were not related, the ritual would serve to create a strong relationship between the participants. , which we can call “psychological parenthood. “
There is a maxim in education that this particular parent wants to pass on to his children: that truth always prevails, never fulfills them, no matter how controversial the issues or when one question can lead to another, is an education without euphemisms. He talks about the illness and death of his wife, mother of his children, without any taboo, and speaks explicitly about sex, at no point suppresses his emotions and receives similar treatment, regardless of sex or age.
In Western societies and many others, sex and death are taboo themes, to explain them to young children myths and metaphors are used to reduce their need to know, so children are brought by the stork and, when we die, we go to heaven. Similarly, emotions are formed in such a way that they cannot be expressed publicly and express themselves only when it is socially correct. Phrases like “men don’t cry, girls cry?””If you show sadness, they will think you are weak. ” or “don’t laugh so much, you look vulgar,” they’re very common in these kinds of societies.
However, this is not the case in all companies. For example, Chile’s population is characterized by its “femininity”. These people generally express their emotions more, as they always leave a space and an opportunity to express them and give The Cause seems to be in their Quechua-aymara past.
On the other hand, it has been proven that the omission of information for children only confuses them, so giving them answers before they ask can boost their self-esteem: children feel very important when they can understand a topic that concerns them. Cultures like Tibetan consider it important to talk openly about death, and countries like Norway allow very explicit sex education programmes for children.
At the end of the film, the head of the family, the father, understands that his children need to integrate into society, so the children attend a normal school and have contact with other children his age, however, the eldest son, who had been accepted into some of the best universities in the United States, decided to travel to an African country to volunteer and get to know the world.
Both practices have similarities to a common practice among amish: rumspringa. Rumspringa is a rite of initiation for young Amish people who leave the community at age 16 until they make a decision: return to their community and stay with them forever or, on the contrary, choose to leave. There is no fixed time and it can take several years to make a decision.
This type of practice is designed to show young people that there are other life forms. The Amish are a company with many restrictions, do not use electricity and have very strict rules. Young people take advantage of this period to reveal themselves and experience others. prohibited customs in your community. It also serves as a cutting period during which they are looking for a wife. After rumspringa, the vast majority decided to return to their community.
Even in the movie? Captain Fantastic? Many scenes appear that would give interesting discussions and comparisons in different areas of psychology, we are focusing on a few. Perhaps the big question posed by the film is whether there really is a way of educating and therefore a different way of life. Moreover, if it exists, it reminds us that, as a project of human inspiration, it would always be imperfect and subject to change; would have virtues, but also edges.
We invite our readers to watch the film if they are interested in the subject and wanting to look at the world for a moment from another angle, they may find it more or less attractive what is behind the door that opens, but we have no doubt. you’ll have fun.