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A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife have spent the last several years raising their six children in the wilderness, away from civilization. His wife dies suddenly after months in the hospital. Her father (Frank Langella) forbids him from attending the funeral. He ultimately laments in order to appease his kids’ wishes. On their journey, the family learns of life in a world they know little to nothing about. Personally, I would like to start with the negatives, because they were very few for me. The slow pace of the movie isn’t bad, but it did drag for me at times. Now, on to the positives. The kids in this movie are great. This may be some of the best child acting I’ve ever seen. Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, and Steve Zahn are also great in their brief appearances. But, the standout is Viggo Mortensen himself. Here, he gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a father who genuinely cares for his children. I believed the family bond this man had with his children. You understand that even when he makes the wrong decisions, he always believes that what he is doing is best for his kids. The cinematography is gorgeous. The shots in the wilderness and the long shots when they are traveling on the road are great. None of the characters feel like stereotypes. They feel real. Most of the cliches you would expect this movie to take are either sidestepped or just never pushed into the movie’s forefront. This is one of those movies I really have to recommend, simply because of how good it is.
9 / 10
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