Movie No. 11 (2015): FORCE MAJEURE
Force Majeure (2014)
Director: Rubern Ostlund
Cast: Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli
In Swedish and English, with English subtitles
A psychodrama or a character study, this movie can be both. And as such, it never fails to stir and create sustained tension. In the movie, an obviously rich family (husband, wife, and two preteen children) spend a five-day ski holiday in an expensive mountain resort. The bond of what seems to be model family gets threatened when a harmless avalanche occurs without warning on the second day while everyone is having lunch. When the avalanche is over, no one gets hurt, but a spur-of-the-moment decision made as everyone panics during the avalanche will shake the family's bond to its core. This takes most of the movie's running time.The movie is an examination of human behavior during unguarded moments and how such behavior can change lives forever. That avalanche is an excellent metaphoric stimulus. The script is crisp and the performances are on the ball.
Director: Rubern Ostlund
Cast: Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli
In Swedish and English, with English subtitles
A psychodrama or a character study, this movie can be both. And as such, it never fails to stir and create sustained tension. In the movie, an obviously rich family (husband, wife, and two preteen children) spend a five-day ski holiday in an expensive mountain resort. The bond of what seems to be model family gets threatened when a harmless avalanche occurs without warning on the second day while everyone is having lunch. When the avalanche is over, no one gets hurt, but a spur-of-the-moment decision made as everyone panics during the avalanche will shake the family's bond to its core. This takes most of the movie's running time.The movie is an examination of human behavior during unguarded moments and how such behavior can change lives forever. That avalanche is an excellent metaphoric stimulus. The script is crisp and the performances are on the ball.
I'll take that last scene as a tribute to Luis Bunuel's "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie." Yes, I get it.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: January 9, 2015
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