I’m a bloody victim of my own instincts!
-Tomas
Force Majeure is one of those unique films that you see once in a while. A movie that you might think you know what’s happening but completely turns on you and says “hey this is actually what this movie is about”.
A Swedish family of four are on a vacation on the French Alps. While having a lovely lunch at the roof of the resort. An avalanche starts to form from the top of the mountain heading straight towards them. In a panic induced situation Tomas, the father, does something that shook the family’s core.
The Good
Wow! I watched this movie expecting a survival themed movie. Though I was dead wrong, it was still a nice treat. The movie is filled with awkward yet hilarious situations. Some are laugh out loud funny while some are just plain uncomfortable. It’s always a good treat if a movie can make you cringe on your seat due to it’s awkwardness.
Now the movie is labelled as dark comedy, while yes the comedy is there. There’s also drama, our leads Tomas (Jahnnes Kuhnke) and Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), who play husband and wife, are great in the movie. Both have great moments and they also capture the the latter moments in marriage where your partner does nothing but get on your nerves.
The cinematography is also noteworthy, filmed at a ski resort, the director does a fantastic job showing the snowy mountains. Often accompanied by Vivaldi’s Summer Concerto, yes very ironic.
The Bad
The movie is two hours long, there are several scenes that are dragged out. This film won’t be for everyone. There’s a certain crowd that will thoroughly enjoy this flick but for a casual crowd it might be too long sometimes could be considered boring.
There are several scenes that felt irrelevant, though I’m sure they’re meant to deliver something symbolic in a deeper sense. It just ends up leaving you confused. Another issue is the predictability, once you figure out what the movie is really about, it’s quite easy to predict the outcome.
Rating
Overall Force Majeure is an odd treat. There’s a subtle charm to the movie that despite it’s running time you still want to watch till the end. It’s awkwardly hilarious with very deep dramatic moments. It’s what a dark comedy should be and it succeeds in being one.
| Good | Bad | 4/5 |
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Ken's Reviews 