10 Great Movies About Men In The Wilderness

Recent release Captain Fantastic is the only entry on the list to have the wilderness as a mental idea rather than a physical one. It begins out in the sticks before shifting to a more twenty-first century environment when an unconventional family are unexpectedly thrown back into a society they'd long left behind.

Viggo Mortensen (an actor well-versed in roaming the land following Lord Of The Rings) played Ben, who was part-father, part-warrior. With wife Abbey suffering from bipolar disorder he set himself the task of raising his children alone in the Pacific Northwest forest.

However a tragedy resulted in him shepherding his flock back to so-called civilization, a seemingly simple move that unbeknownst to the clan is fraught with danger due to him being decidedly unwelcome. Ben may have returned to the rat race, but he brought the wilds with him.

The film forms an interesting accompaniment to The Hunt For The Wilderpeople. Both flicks are about powerful male figures in a family saga. But whereas Wilderpeople is light-hearted, Captain Fantastic is a more intensive trip into uncharted territory.