We saw Captain Fantastic at this year’s Sundance, and loved it. Much of what we loved — namely, Viggo Mortensen and the film’s indie underdog spirit — shines brightly in this new trailer for the film.
Directed by Matt Ross — perhaps better known as Silicon Valley‘s Gavin Belson — Captain Fantastic stars Mortensen as a father who has raised his kids almost entirely off the grid. He and his wife have created a utopian life for the kids, though it’s thrown into disarray upon the death of his wife. Betraying the wishes of his father-in-law (Frank Langella), he and his misfit kids travel to his wife’s funeral. While there, the wife’s family — including Kathryn Hahn and Steve Zahn, amazingly — threatens to file for custody rights of the children due to the fact that they’ve been raised into social ineptitude. (Mortensen tells his kids that soda is poison water, which, when you think about it, is kind of true.) Mortensen’s character, of course, does not like this.
It looks pretty captivating, and uplifting, and filled with charming performances from some of our best character actors. Mortensen has had a particularly lovely post-Lord of the Rings career, and this definitely looks to be a highlight.
Watch the trailer below. Captain Fantastic is set for a July 8 release.