Force Majeure

A bone-dry dark comedy about the self-deception we employ to avoid socially destabilizing truths. Ostlund uses the motif of the avalanche to represent the roiling uncertainties that gather force and destroy the facades underpinning our relationships - the sudden eruptions of awareness that necessitate the painful process of redefinition and renewal. The oppressively clean, symmetrical hotel doubles for the artificial order constructed by humans who seek to deny their essential self-interest in the name of higher values – family, community, and social consensus. However, Ostlund constantly reminds us of the porousness of this border, as music and footfalls are always in the background, honest conversations are forced to circumspection, and privacy is impossible to attain. Parenthood in particular is portrayed as a constant state of public performance – the husband and wife operating on unspoken terms to maintain an illusion of a “united front.” But the endless regimented duties of parenthood, which serve as an external representation of “love” and “responsibility,” are the very blind spots that allow for indifference and selfishness to accumulate unnoticed. Only when an “act of God” shatters the facade do we become aware of their perfunctory nature. So on one level the film is a deep, beguiling look at the suffocating horror of unspoken expectation, but it's also a terrifically entertaining comedy: Ostlund uses the audience's expectation for big moments to confound expectations at every turn – looming dread turns quickly to bathos, traditional payoffs are inverted, and climactic moments are undercut by ambivalence. Scene after scene stun both visually and conceptually, culminating in a surreal finale that merges the film's ideas about parenthood, self-definition, community, and redemption into one remarkable yet ordinary image. It should be noted that while it's clearly Ostlund's coming out party as a major talent, the performances are special as well: Johannes Kunke perfectly captures the silent terror of the mediocre alpha male declining into middle age, while Lisa Kongsli unearths the cruelty and self-righteousness beneath her character's otherwise reasonable point of view. It all adds up to an extraordinary film that shames the entire American indie film industry, which in its desperation to serve as a farm system for Hollywood has failed to deliver anything nearly this fresh and inventive in almost 20 years.

Force Majeure is a disaster movie of the uber-allegorical maxi-metaphorical contra-comedic type. Its initially literal presentation might leave a viewer wondering "What just (really) happened?" Swedish married couple Tomas and Ebba take a hard-earned skiing vacation with their son, and daughter. Pre-existing marital discord is overtly manifested in the kids' behavioral problems and sass. What they all need is a little cataclysm to get them to open up. Ironically, it's only the children who can explicitly state their fears and anguish with a painful economy of words. The adults bumble along in marital ineptitude: acting out, finger pointing, hand-wringing and cerebral dithering. Couples sporting different relationship variations enter the fray: open marriage, April-December romance. The catastrophic paradigm shift introduces a new pivot point to the relationship dynamo. Meanwhile, a lone janitor observes all. He is looked down upon until they need him for something. It's all funny insofar as a guffaw is a laugh and stupidity and ridicule are a sub-genre of comedy. Every scene invokes cringing, blanching, and twitching. So how could THAT be a 5-star movie? Force Majeure was written and directed by Ruben Östlund. One has to separate out what they think Östlund really means versus what they think he wants a viewer to "get" versus it might all just be an observational expository with no single point and no heroes or villains. There is a lot of subtext here that goes as deep as a viewer is willing to go. There are no absolutes in societal gender roles. The same is true for watching movies. When we think we have identified some truism, it can become ridiculously reductive. Regardless, the fact is we are exposing our children to dangers - both real and imagined - everywhere with everything we say and do. The visuals are stunning. When not crystal clear, they are provocative and often downright absurd. The dialog is original and unexpected. The acting is both sublime and in your face. (Watch Tomas's face fall - but rise again - in one of the many bathroom scenes. It's subtle, yet childish. It's as if he could only catch and hold Ebba's attention, everything will be put back aright.) The emotional reactions invoked can be remarkable, even if they are surgically uncomfortable. Scenes are complicated; there is humor, but it creates disorder. The laughs may come days after watching Force Majeure. Östlund claims Force Majeure was inspired by an online video, which it certainly does mimic acutely. But where he takes it is, well, debatable. Hugely debatable. The initial furor seems to center on gender roles, but it is what he does NOT expand or expound upon that is most chilling. Who is minding the children during this? And what are we telling them with our words and actions? Who's fit for their safe-keeping? And if you're not, and I'm not, then who is? Because someone is going to. THAT is the unspoken takeaway. Say what you will about feminism being the death of chivalry, self-preservation trumping altruism, etc. Our first priority - and our last best hope - is to stop acting like children and actually be raising our children. NOTE: To avoid any SPOILERS, the Comments section has a question that still makes my brain writhe. Please don't go there if you don't want SPOILERS.

As I continue to play catch-up on 2014 in time for the Oscars, I took the opportunity tonight to watch the Swedish film, FORCE MAJEURE. The second definition in the Oxford Dictionary for "force majeure" is "irresistible compulsion or greater force." While an obvious connection can be made to the avalanche which occurs in the film, and is a pivotal moment for the family at the center of the story, it also works as a metaphor for the husband's instinctual reaction towards it. Thematically, the film deals with issues like familial bonds, masculinity and control (or the lack thereof). This was a human drama, first and foremost, and I thought it did an excellent job at dealing with these questions. At the end of the day there aren't any concrete answers given, and while some might feel cheated, I thought it was very judicious of the filmmakers to leave things up for interpretation and just present the story as is. There were also a number of excellent scenes which neatly captured the discussion they seemed to be going for. Among them were a pair of scenes in which the wife recalls to friends (with her husband present) how things went down during the avalanche. The second of these was rather intense and just further indicated how much it affected both of them. Other elements which stood out to me was the use of Vivaldi's Summer movement from the "The Four Seasons" as a musical motif. Perhaps ironic considering the winter weather, I also thought it added to dramatic tension and created a sense of impending doom, i.e., an oncoming storm. The only downside I could really find were the two actors who played the children. While they weren't in too many of the scenes, or at least didn't have that much dialogue, I thought the moments when they panicked and screamed were unbearably annoying and screechy. Overall, I thought this was a well-made and well-acted film that explored some really interesting themes with humor, sensitivity and balance. The typical moviegoer probably wouldn't give this a second glance, but for those with more discerning tastes I feel like this could be a rewarding, cathartic experience.

If you ever wondered how a marriage or a relationship would fare after traumatic circumstances, this is the film to help sort it out. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Ostland has given us a force to be sure. A Swedish family, on vacation in the French Alps for five days. Each day is presented and the activities played out. On day one, the perfect family, momma, poppa, daughter and son have their photos taken while in their fashionable ski togs. All is well. Day two while at lunch a controlled Avalanche suddenly looks like it has become uncontrolled, and everyone at the outside patio screams. However, something is not right with this family, and from day two through day five they try to ingest this experience. This is such a well crafted film that leaves us with bewilderment wondering just how would we react in such a situation. The family falls apart, and tries to put itself back together again. Of note, it has been shown that families who experience severe trauma of some sort often come apart forever. Each day in this film gives us a different perspective of the characters. We are observers to this trauma and we are left wondering how would we react. Fascinating and enjoyable and complex. Recommended. prisrob 02-11-15

I know I'm very much in the minority, but I was led to this film after seeing (and liking) the American remake of this movie called "Downhill", and I think Downhill is far superior. Downhill has rec'd mostly negative reviews from critics and movie-goers alike but I found it to be a really terrific black comedy with heart and soul. It's also just over 80 min. long, so is a very tight and swift moving story. As a result, I can (and have!) watch it over and over. Force Majeure is a full 35 or so minutes longer and yet omits some of the events and plotlines included in Downhill, which makes it an overly long and very slow-moving movie imo. More importantly, I didn't laugh once. I just did not see any humor in the performances or the way the story was told. Bottom line: skip this and get Downhill instead.

Billed as a "wickedly funny" drama is totally misleading. Wicked in parts perhaps, but funny? There is nothing I found very funny in this movie, unless you find humor in seemingly mundane interactions and/or you really have a low bar for humor (or I am not as black-souled as I need to be?). I feel like this billing is doing the audience a disservice, as I went into it purposely looking for some comedy (I didn't think it was an outright comedy, but comedy does imply a bit of levity) and instead, realized over time that this movie was solely about underlying themes of priorities, selfishness and self-preservation, instinctual decisions, morality and the effect these have on one and one's relationships with others. Heady stuff, no real comedic counterpoint to be found. The trailer seems to suggest a bit of comedy as well. You are much better served going into this movie thinking it will be a family drama and an exploration into human reactions than anything else. On that note, I thought it was well done. The pace is slow; perhaps lending a bit more tension to the already pervasive stress of the subject matter. There are a couple scenes in particular which are quite socially awkward and baring, and powerful. Overall, this was a good, thought-provoking movie. Perhaps a good one to watch as a couple, because it touches on how men and women might think, feel and handle things differently. There is a potential for good discussion there. It's a bit long overall, with no real conclusion, just a presentation of an interesting set of circumstances, reactions and consequences.

I watched this on a double bill w/ Downhill, the American remake. Of course, the European version was much better-- complex and robust, examining different aspects of life and society as we've made it, beyond just the relationship between man and wife--which is the focus of the American version. Some of the themes introduced in the European film: fake environment being shaped even amidst the beauty and authentic danger of the French Alps, with snowplows and snow smoothers working their magic throughout the night so that each guest will enjoy the start of their pricey Snow Day. The blasting guns being shot off at all hours to lessen any impending avalanches--is that for real? I hope no one goes to the French Alps with a nervous condition! Great sound production--menacing tech noises that add to the creepy feeling something bad is going to happen. I found the actual avalanche frightening and remember that many others on Twitter found it so as well--it was a meme for ignoring, at your peril, the signs of climate change. The children who recognized danger much earlier than the blasé parents, and who had to insist on numb-to-it-all Mom joining their familial group to comfort a Dad who was undergoing a nervous breakdown. That is truly a sign of our times, much to our collective shame, that children have to set this example for their elders.

I watched both, this original and recent American remake. Both are good but I find the American version much more realistic and more believable. The characters are well acted. French version is okay but it is kind of more underscored and some actions and reactions are not as believable and very pale. Hard to relate to some situations. Overall not bad and worth the time.

Superb and unique film.

Lorsqu'on lit la description, on voit que le film est en 5.1 et en français, mais il n'en est rien, il n'y a aucun choix de langue.

With all of the hype I had read about this movie, I was meant to believe it to be a winner. Sorry folks! In my opinion, it's a big loser. There is nothing to get excited (or even interested) about in this movie. I guess by now, you have formed the opinion that I didn't like it. Quite right, but, that's not to say you won't either. But, you can do what I did, buy it, then form your own opinion. I often read the comments written by people. Some are nice, some are great, intriguing, well written. But then, there are some that clearly disliked the movie. There is nothing that I actually disliked about this movie, it's just that I was led up the wrong path and fed information that, after seeing it, I felt was untrue. But, take the risk and buy it.....you just might form a different opinion than mine.

“Force Majeure” Man oh man take the advice from Mr. Tommy Dooley an don’t see this as a couple, oh my the question will start flying would you or would you not do what you’re about to see, an then to compare it to other situation of other people, how they would handle it, it’s a very tough movie to handle, the conversation would be rampant with tough question of loyalty of what the role of a father should be, I’m not in no way going to give away any aspect of this very fine film, see this for the sheer pleasure of the most communicable conversation you will have with your other half, even the way this movie was filmed with it’s long takes with No conversation is like they want you to communicate in-between those dead silence scenes, an actually how this movie come about is the Director actually witness this on his vacation in the south of France, even though the opening scene was shot in Vancouver, What A Great Movie To See..I Love It...

Force Majeure takes the time to make us feel comfortable with this family, particularly the parents, before 'the avalanche' happens and everything begins to fall apart. This is an intelligent, mature film about relationships, both adult and kid relationships. Highly recommend.