Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke) and Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), the two central characters in Ruben Östlund's razor sharp marital dramedy Force Majeure, talk a lot about talking. They step outside of earshot of their two children to supposedly have an important conversation but instead just stare at one another, neither one able to articulate to the other exactly how they feel. This is a family with obvious wealth and high social status that is at the same time burdened by the realities of maintaining that lifestyle – Ebba remarks to a friend she runs into on vacation that her husband has found the time to spend 5 days with his family instead of working. She spouts this information with a venomous tone, making sure Tomas can hear her loud and clear. That is how these two communicate and it makes for a hilarious (and beautiful) stroll down passive aggressive lane the more the odds become stacked up against this couple. Pulled into Tomas and Ebba's black hole of marital bliss is Mats (Kristofer Hivju of Game of Throne's) and Fanny (Fanni Metelius), friends of Tomas and Ebba who join them halfway through their vacation. They are forced to play couples therapists after Ebba – from the safety of the company of others and a decent wine buzz – confronts Tomas about his behavior after a forced avalanche almost buried their entire family the day before. This awkward situation forces Mats and Fanny into a seemingly endless conversation about instinct and what it means to be a man, the likes of which Ebba desperately desires to engage in with Tomas but is simply unable to due in part to his stubbornness and her willingness to swallow her frustrations indefinitely.
The masterful contrast illustrated between these two couples is as much a result of the writing as it is the performances. These actors revel in their characters' obliviousness to their own shortcomings and it's simply a joy to watch them rage against their own instincts, be it a subtle twitch of the eye or a complete emotional breakdown. Tomas' reserved, short burst pulses of vague dialog are fun house mirrored to Mats over explanation of his feelings and what he hopes is a clear projection of his own masculinity. The tension is all so tightly wound and claustrophobic that if it weren't for the expertly paced bits of absurd comedy, you'd have to take an anti-anxiety pill two thirds through the film.
As if all this weren't enough, Ruben Östlund uses the French Alps setting of Force Majeure to full affect. In between each of the five days these characters must endure their vacation together, Östlund intercuts a vignette of the mountainside. Sometimes we see it in full morning light with the breathtaking slopes still untouched by skiers. Other times we see it at night, dimly lit and the sounds of explosions echoing through the valley as controlled avalanches wipe the slate clean of the skiing that had took place the previous day. These vignettes are accompanied by dramatic symphony music that recalls Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (with its whitewashed visuals and bombastic musical cues). These micro breaks in the film's tense narrative make it all the more hilarious when they appear and then immediately drop us back into the emotional grinder.
Force Majeure is one of the best films I've seen all year. It took home the Jury Prize at Cannes this year and will almost certainly add many more awards to its shelf. It is a true cinematic experience. At once hilarious and heartbreaking with characters you can choose to either root to failure or redemption, still having a good time regardless of the outcome. There is a critique of the way we conduct ourselves in our relationships but it never indicts the audience, instead pointing the finger at the characters they're watching. For that, the film successfully gets us to examine ourselves by comparison to its own protagonists without making the whole affair unnecessarily nasty just to make a point, a la Funny Games. You owe it to yourself to see this film.
The masterful contrast illustrated between these two couples is as much a result of the writing as it is the performances. These actors revel in their characters' obliviousness to their own shortcomings and it's simply a joy to watch them rage against their own instincts, be it a subtle twitch of the eye or a complete emotional breakdown. Tomas' reserved, short burst pulses of vague dialog are fun house mirrored to Mats over explanation of his feelings and what he hopes is a clear projection of his own masculinity. The tension is all so tightly wound and claustrophobic that if it weren't for the expertly paced bits of absurd comedy, you'd have to take an anti-anxiety pill two thirds through the film.
As if all this weren't enough, Ruben Östlund uses the French Alps setting of Force Majeure to full affect. In between each of the five days these characters must endure their vacation together, Östlund intercuts a vignette of the mountainside. Sometimes we see it in full morning light with the breathtaking slopes still untouched by skiers. Other times we see it at night, dimly lit and the sounds of explosions echoing through the valley as controlled avalanches wipe the slate clean of the skiing that had took place the previous day. These vignettes are accompanied by dramatic symphony music that recalls Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (with its whitewashed visuals and bombastic musical cues). These micro breaks in the film's tense narrative make it all the more hilarious when they appear and then immediately drop us back into the emotional grinder.
Force Majeure is one of the best films I've seen all year. It took home the Jury Prize at Cannes this year and will almost certainly add many more awards to its shelf. It is a true cinematic experience. At once hilarious and heartbreaking with characters you can choose to either root to failure or redemption, still having a good time regardless of the outcome. There is a critique of the way we conduct ourselves in our relationships but it never indicts the audience, instead pointing the finger at the characters they're watching. For that, the film successfully gets us to examine ourselves by comparison to its own protagonists without making the whole affair unnecessarily nasty just to make a point, a la Funny Games. You owe it to yourself to see this film.