Force Majeure

Personally, I was disappointed. I have no idea why comedy was listed as one of the genres. The film would work for me as a drama if it was an hour shorter. I felt snowed under with shots of snow-covered Alps, snow-covered forests and snow-covered roofs. All those close-ups of steel wire ropes made me feel like I was supposed to inspect the safety of the cable car. Either the running time should have been shorter or the story should have been more engaging. (01/05/2020)

The archetype of the Nordic family drama you can simply count on. This time it's the man's position in society that takes the heat and, more importantly, the expectations and ideas of what a man like that should be. Tomas is the first to take a powder before the seeming avalanche, not forgetting to take his mobile phone with him from the table, then he does not publicly declare this act and still tries to gain the higher ground over his wife on the topic. The family peace is not particularly helped by the arrival of Tomas's newly divorced friend with his twenty-year-old trophy and the overgrown charisma of a guy who can afford not to care about anything. The only time Tomas manages to somehow exalt his manhood is at an incredible atavistic party, where sweaty half-naked men pour beers and vomit all over each other, with strobe lights flashing and techno blaring. The problem with the given situation is also the setting, where the luxurious mountain resort may offer plenty of opportunities for recreation, fun, and relaxation, but in the long static shots we gradually realize that none of the characters belong there, that they have no corner or place to release. Compared to the occasional hysteria on IMDB, where guys are afraid of their nature and hide behind lines like "this is male-bashing feminist bs", I see this as a rather optimistic and credible probe for reflection, which basically says "family will castrate you, but you need to get over it and kind of just deal". (05/12/2015)

This is my second encounter with director Ruben Östlund after the bitter comedy The Square and I must admit that I'm really impressed. While I don't yet know his other films, these two present some serious themes in an absolutely original way. While The Square is more or less an indictment of contemporary European society, Force Majeure deals with the disruption of the harmony of one seemingly peaceful family. I stared in disbelief at how differently perceived experience of a seemingly innocent avalanche can completely dismantle the relationship between two people who had been quite happy together until then. Then, of course, it also has an impact on their children. The considerably depressing story is further intensified by the slow narrative, unsettling musical accompaniment, and the chilling setting of the mountains. There are, however, a few humorous situations to lighten things up. Overall, this is an excellent relationship drama and I applaud the author. (85%) (03/23/2020)

Paradies: Schnee. An intense relationship avalanche that rolls around the peaks of Bergman, Trier, Seidl and Andersson and ends (typically for Östlund) with a large and seemingly superfluous thesis, which even in film form presents the role of hypocrisy and falsehood in the construction of reality. While I consider the first 2/3 of the film to be absolutely brilliant in observing details and working with a change of mood, the conclusion, as in the case of Play, feels like an intellectual construct without debates from an extremely clever creator. There are several places where Ruben could cut off the film as a chilling image of intimate collapse and uncertainty, but he prefers to go with the enigmatic metaphor of the collective. Force Majeure is the type of film that can shake confidence in love relationships and accurately capture the fragility and degree of manipulation with which we keep them going. It is also the exact naming of the thin crust under which the distinguished Nordic society locked instincts, which then wants to be heard, with surprising intensity, in an environment full of bizarre human rituals (in this aspect, Force Majeure reminds of Seidl's trilogy Paradise). Confirmation that Östlund belongs to the top echelons of art film. Maybe he just didn't have to emphasize it so much. [80%] (10/07/2014)

The Scandinavian festival in Mladá Boleslav prepared a real gem for me for one Wednesday evening. The director Ruben Östlund has already convinced me once with the film Play that he can be original and the Force Majeure seemed at least as interesting. The result exceeded all expectations. This is an absolutely precise decomposition of the man/woman relationship and parents/children relationships in one not entirely pleasant situation. It made me sick for a while, but the director softened everything with a lot of good and funny scenes. The actors were also good, and if only the final scene of the dad having a psychotic episode had been a little better, I would’ve been absolutely satisfied. Seen based on the Challenge Tour 2015. (04/27/2015)