Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

christopher256_98 Force Majeure is a stunning 2014 drama by Swedish director Ruben Östlund (who did Involuntary and more recently the Academy Award nominated The Square) about a family of four spending a vacation at a resort in the French Alps. The husband Tomas, his wife Ebba, and their young son and daughter are, in the first day-and-a-half or so of the trip, by all appearances quite happy and having a good time in their stay, skiing down the beautiful slopes, having their pictures taken, laughing and so on. Then suddenly something changes everything: an avalanche, done through a controlled ignition, that strays further than intended towards where the four eating, and causes quite a fright among the diners, though as it turns out no one was ever put in any mortal risk. Ebba stays by her kids, while Tomas reacts I think the way many would in the heat of the moment. The next three-and-a-half days of the five day trip--the movie is segmented by day with pretty night ski-slope montages in between--will show the ramifications of that reaction in vivid, often times uncomfortable, detail. The two lead performances by Lisa Loven Kongsli and Johannes Bah Kuhnke are terrific; they truly inhibit this couple, as their at least outwardly strong marriage and family starts to unravel. At first it seems what transpired might not be that big of a deal, but it's there simmering underneath, and decisions by both in how they handle make it progressively more toxic. Nothing seems deliberately exaggerated, even what might be considered the film's climax: a huge turn quite hard-to-watch turn when Ebba and Tomas are with a few friends in their hotel room. There are other people who come into the scene--friends, casual acquaintances, and one particular stranger--who observe the couple in their conflict, viewing them almost as we the viewers of the movie do; or viewing them while apart from one another, as the two are in much of the movie's second act. The actors playing the daughter and son do good job, and though the film clearly isn't as much about them it's interesting to see how they react to their parents' escalations. The film ends (don't worry, no spoilers here) with a fascinating sequence. For what the filmmakers tried to do, it could have so easily looked clumsy, forced, or like a cliché. But it's pulled off spectacularly: a revelation which wraps the story up in a striking, arguably brilliant fashion. Few films, in my opinion, have such a near-perfect conclusion as this one, and the journey taking us to that point is never showy and frequently powerful. No one, I believe, can watch this film and help but think "How would I really react?" But this film is about much more than that, strewn with themes like marriage, gender roles in a family, masculinity and others that are analyzed in poignant and perceptive ways. The way characters outside the two main are utilized is also something to behold. Definitely see this movie.

tenshi_ippikiookami In a society that is in constant change, sometimes it is difficult to know where your place is. And nowadays this feels harder than ever, with social networks, smartphones and constant connection to every corner of the world. So many things are happening that sometimes people are not sure about their position in society or family, or even what they are supposed to be and do. And this adjusting may be in particular hard for the ones that have been more privileged and have had more power. Not because they have lost privileges, but because they feel they are losing their position in the world, their prerogatives and rights. And it is hard for them to accept that.And that is what "Force Majeure" is about. A perfect family of four are having dinner in a restaurant when an avalanche happens. At first they take it as a thing to take pictures of and enjoy, a controlled avalanche. However little by little the avalanche comes closer to the restaurant... and the man decides to run for his life leaving his two children and wife behind.From that moment on we have a really engaging look on family, relationships, women and men's position on society and how difficult it is to the privileged to accept changes or their loss of power. By looking at a family, Östlund develops all these ideas in a subtle but never superficial way. The pace is slow and takes its time, but it never lets the viewer down and it adds little by little to the story. Some imaginary is too heavy-handed (like the toilet moments in particular), but in general the direction is spot on and all the moments have relevance to what is happening, with some touches of humor to stop the story to becoming too dark and broody."Force Majeure" is a really interesting movie.

Leofwine_draca On release, FORCE MAJEURE was widely applauded as a bleak Swedish comic drama, in which a father's act of cowardice during a family skiing holiday has powerful repercussions for his place in the family. It sounded good, but having just endured watching it, I can report that the praise is unfounded. This is a simple character drama, of the type they make so many of, and it has little to recommend it. The events depicted early on are surprisingly trivial, and the film fails to make the protagonists in any way likable, so watching them argue, fight, and cry is a real chore. The actor from GAME OF THRONES is the only thing I liked about this slow, slight, and uninteresting tale, which is about as interesting as watching paint dry.

bob the moo I had heard the basic plot of this film described and was curious how it would work. I assumed that the main event of the avalanche would be a bigger moment and with lasting physical consequences (for some reason I pictured the family alone in a cabin for the tensions to build). Instead the traumatic event of the film is less impacting in its physical moment, almost to the point where I wondered what the film would do for the remainder of its two hour running time. What it does is slow but satisfying in the way it unfolds. From this moment we watch the characters fracture and struggle; as individuals and as a family. It is not wholly successful but in the main part it plays out well.The slow pace and long takes are part of the film working, as they set a tone of tension which mostly exists in a vacuum of silence. This occurs not only in the context of the landscape, but also in the smaller shots – for instance the amount of time we spend behind the characters as they stand with their backs to us. I liked the slightly invasive feel this gave the film, as it did feel like we were watching scenes play out, rather than them being played out for the viewer. This relies a lot on the cast to deliver within this space, and mostly they do. Some of the characters feel added for the sake of the narrative, but in the case of the lead two they are strong in their individual and joint performances. The tension between them, and their own struggles as people, are presented in a convincing and engaging way. It doesn't matter that you do not like the characters per se, but they are interesting – even if I ended the film not liking who Tomas is, I enjoyed understanding him better.The pace is at times a bit too slow and the running time a bit long, but mostly the film controls it very well. It is impressive how well the tone and pace is established in the shoot, and the design and construction of the film comes together. Mostly though it is a film made in the small moments, the interactions, and the internal fracturing/testing of characters. The conclusions are not cheerful perhaps but it is cleverly done and I enjoyed how well it delivered the characters.