Captain Fantastic Final Scene

 The ending of Captain Fantastic shows that the two main opposing ideological forces throughout the film, Ben and Jack, have reached a compromise. We see the children sitting around a table doing homework, which shows that they are all now in a traditional schooling system. This was Jack's main concern earlier in the film, as shown through an argument between him and Ben. This point is reinforced by the line of dialogue: "The school bus is here." We also see Ben sitting at the table watching his children do homework, which shows that he is still able to be involved in his children's lives, which we may have doubted earlier in the film. The fact that he is happy with this compromise is shown through him smiling at his children with pride. Some viewers who sided with Ben throughout the film may also see this compromise as a negative ending. This is because Ben has essentially sacrificed his previous values for the sake of his children. This is a negative ending to these viewers as it is almost like a defeat for Ben's values in this sense. However, the use of high-key lighting suggests that this is a happy ending, and that all of the characters, especially the children, have a better future to come from this. The camera movement is not stable, which gives connotations of homeliness and comfort in this environment; however, it is also slow to show us that the characters have reached peace. The music is also a very obvious way of showing this equilibrium. It is serene, hopeful, and almost sounds heavenly, showing they have finally reached a state of happiness and contentment after the passing of their mother. This is also the same music that was heard at the beginning of the film before the equilibrium was disrupted by the news of the mother's passing, which shows they have finally reached a point where they feel this once again after the metaphorical and physical journey of the rest of the film.