Sometimes the desire to forego civilized society, drop off social media, and shirk responsibilities occur to everyone. Just disappear from view, wipe the slate clean and explore new opportunities without repercussions. At the heart of The Mosquito Coast, a novel written by Paul Theroux in 1981, those ideas and more besides were explored.
In 1986, under the guidance of director Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society), a film adaptation was made with Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and the late River Phoenix. It followed Ford’s inventor and pioneer Allie Fox, as he took his family away from the temptations of a consumer society to rebuild their lives in an isolated jungle paradise, forcing them to confront some home truths about themselves in the process.