Force Majeure-2014

Director Ruben Östlund

Starring Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli

Scott’s Review #280

Reviewed October 4, 2015

Grade: A

As a huge fan of foreign-language films, I was delighted to stumble upon this inventive, thought-provoking treat: Force Majeure (2014).

A Swedish film set in the Alps of eastern France, it’s a family drama that is powerful, emotional, and especially psychological.

The best films leave you absorbed in thoughtful conversation or introspection, and this film successfully did both for me.

Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) and Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) are an attractive couple in their mid-thirties vacationing with their two young children, Vera and Harry. Everyone is excited about the holiday as Tomas is away from work for a full week.

They are a family of affluence and sophistication, as evidenced by the luxurious mountaintop hotel they stay in.

However, a subdued tension runs beneath the surface.

On the second day, they enjoy lunch at the hotel on an outdoor patio along the snowy mountainside. As a controlled avalanche begins to head their way, panic sets in as everyone flees for safety.

The avalanche is feared out of control, but thankfully it’s only mist, and everyone safely returns to lunch.

However, Tomas’s instinctual reaction to the terror sets off a wave of debate for the remainder of the film. The family experiences a range of emotions and then brings in their friends as they discuss and analyze the event.

The heart of the film is Ebba’s rage and Tomas’s guilt.

What I adore most about this film is its intelligence. It is smart and well-written. From a pacing perspective, it is slow and may turn some viewers off.

Simple scenes feature the family brushing teeth or napping- scenes in which not much happens.

But the intense psychological aspect lying beneath the surface makes up for these uneventful scenes. I love the smart dialogue between characters.

Ebba sits in the lobby sipping a drink with her friend, a sophisticated, promiscuous woman vacationing alone to get a break from her husband and children. She picks up men for fun and has no hang-ups about it.

This particular scene is laced with interesting discussion. Ebba cannot understand her friend’s life choices and freedom, and she reveals that she is afraid of being left alone; she comes across as judgmental and insecure, while her friend is confident and secure.

It is a “coffee talk” moment but reveals so much about the characters.

Later, Tomas and Ebba chat with their friends Matts and Fanni. When the discussion turns to the avalanche experience, Matts analyzes the situation, creating tension for everyone. Matts sides with Tomas, whereas Fanni sympathizes with Ebba.

The disagreement stays with Matts and Fanni throughout the night as they reveal their conflict and put themselves in the other couple’s shoes.

Towards the end of Force Majeure, events become strange as Matts and Tomas embark on a relaxing guys’ day out on the ski slope. As they sip drinks and listen to music, an attractive woman flirtatiously tells Tomas that her friend thinks he is the sexiest man she has ever seen.

Tomas feels like a million bucks, and the audience is happy for him; however, the woman quickly returns and tells them she was mistaken and her friend meant another man.

This escalates into a near-fight, and the scene uses little dialogue. Rather, expressions are widely used. Later, a bizarre scene involves Tomas being accosted by frat boys and forced to guzzle beer- is this imagined or real?

We never find out.

Force Majeure is a spectacle. Scenes of the crisp, white, cascading snow are beautiful. The avalanche scene is amazing and creepy as the snow rapidly comes into view and gets closer and closer to the diners.

Will they be killed, we wonder? The climactic scene, as the departing vacationers travel by bus down a winding road, is quite scary, as the inept bus driver struggles to navigate.

Will it crash, killing everyone? Is he purposely driving recklessly on a suicide mission? The looming mountainside to the bottom is frightening and fascinating.

Intellectual, curious, and bizarre, Force Majeure (2014) is an international film worth checking out for a unique, cerebral experience.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best International Film