* ImportantHaircut: When Ben [[spoiler:leaves his children]], he shaves his beard. Later, Bodevan cuts his hair short, just before the [[spoiler:funeral]].

* PosthumousCharacter: Leslie's death is what kicks off the family's adventure. Though she never appears outside of Ben's visions, how Ben, the kids and Jack variously choose to see and remember her drives much of the film.

** Ben's shooting down Bo's university hopes in favour of staying with the family seems at least partially motivated by a fear of losing any of his kids so soon after losing his wife. It's also subtly suggested, given his admissions to the kids near the end, that hs desire to prove his lifestyle's superiority in the scenes with his sister stems from an unwillingness to acknowledge that his own role in it failing to help his wife's illness as he thought.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Ben preaches discourse among the family and acceptance of other viewpoints, but he's utterly incapable of seeing that there's anything wrong with the way he's raising his family - to the point the kids are basically unable to truly challenge him on anything major. When they do eventually express contrary views he either yells at them and overrides their viewpoints (just after the funeral service) or attempts to ignore it entirely (when he goes to get Rellian and essentially tells him to get back on the bus until the equally willful Jack [[ItMakesSenceInContext gets his attention by shooting an arrow at him]]).

** Ben's shooting down Bo's university hopes in favour of staying with the family seems at least partially motivated by a fear of losing any of his kids so soon after losing his wife.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Ben preaches discourse among the family and acceptance of other viewpoints, but he's utterly incapable of seeing that there's anything wrong with the way he's raising his family - to the point the kids are basically unable to truly challenge him on anything major. When they do eventually express contrary views he either yells at them and overrides their viewpoints (just after the funeral service) or attempts to ignore it entirely (when he goes to get Rellian and essentially tells him to get back on the bus until the equally willful Jack intervenes).

* NotSoDifferent: It's shown Ben and Jack are both hunters (though for different reasons - Ben for sustenance, Jack for sport). Their chosen bows subtly show that though the two are very different there are base similarities; Jack shoots at Ben with a with a modern sports bow, while Ben later leaves his (likely hand-crafted) wooden bow with Jack.

* UsefulNotes/EsperantoTheUniversalLanguage: Vespyr and Kielyr can speak Esperanto, or at least a few words of it.

* ComingOfAgeStory: There are several teachings and lecturings from olders to younglings, especially for Bo and Rellian.

* IMissMom: The kids clearly feel this way, and even state this word for word once or twice.

* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Bodevan got accepted into most of the major universities [[spoiler:with the help of his mother.]]

* MeaningfulEcho: "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_to_the_people_(slogan) Power to the people]], stick it to the Man." Between Ben and his children, then Bo and Nai.

* BaitAndSwitchComment: When Bo shows his father the acceptance letters, Ben initially says well done and that it's very impressive, leading to a HopeSpot for Bo - then [[KickTheDog makes it clear he's referring to Bo successfully doing all this behind his back and lying to his face]], forcing Bo to reveal Leslie helped him, leading to the first major break between father and son.

* BourgeoisBohemian: Leslie seems to have grown up in a privileged lifestyle (the kids call her parents' mansion a vulgar display of wealth) and its implied that a lot of living in the wilderness was her idea. [[https://www.amazon.com.au/Captain-Fantastic-Viggo-Mortensen/dp/B01IAC3XFI Some of the promotional material indicates]] she was previously a lawyer who gave up her practice to devote herself to Ben's lifestyle.

* FreudianExcuse: Jack's hatred of Ben, while understandable on several points, seems to stem from his desire to remember the daughter he knew rather than the person she became with Ben - something Ben's crashing the funeral brings into the open. It also seems he displaces the blame for everything that happened onto Ben, which ignores the decisions Leslie herself took in how to raise the children and manage her illness (which the letter Abigail produces makes clear).

* InitiationCeremony: The movie starts with Bo killling a deer as a maturity initiation.

--->'''Ben: Leslie and I are their teachers. [[FreudianSlip Are -- were their teachers]].

* BaitAndSwitchComment: When Bo shows his father the acceptance letters, Ben initially says well done and that it's very impressive, leading to a HopeSpot for Bo - then [[KickTheDog makes it clear he's referring to Bo successfully doing all this behind his back and lying to his face]] - forcing Bo to reveal Leslie helped him, and leading to the first major break between father and son.

* BourgeoisBohemian: Leslie seems to have grown up in a privileged lifestyle (the kids call her parents' mansion a vulgar display of wealth) and its implied that a lot of living in the wilderness was her idea.

* Twin daughters Vespyr and Keilyr. Vespyr is quiet and attached to nature, while the latter is the most energetic and curious of the family.

* Vespyr, the oldest daughter. Quiet and attached to nature.
* Kielyr, the middle daughter. The most energetic and curious of the family.