Force Majeure

Courtesy of TriArt Film,  as well as Beofilm, Motlys, Plattform Produktion et al.

Before I formally saw this film, I knew it as the one that didn't get an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film and the filmmakers cried horrifically at the announcement. Watching this film, and the winner of the category "Ida," it's easy to see why they thought they were a shoo-in. While "Ida" had been the frontrunner for almost an entire year, "Force Majeure" was itself a bright, funny, heart stopping tale of familial links, marital tension, and how stressful it can be to be constantly perfect.

            Set in the French Alps, during a family vacation by a Swedish family, it’s apparent from the first scenes that there is a tension between the husband and wife. He works constantly and she believes that he doesn’t spend enough time with his family. When he runs away from the table during an apparent avalanche, that tension rises to the surface, and the family faces the harsh realities of their state. Kuhnke and Kongsli work well off one another as the couple, restrained in the presence of their children, and yet they are terrible about keeping their feelings under the surface. The children always seem to understand the issues at hand, especially when their mother makes a point of making her husband accountable.

            The film relies on visual themes, including long takes during the more emotional scenes. There are beautiful shots of the French Alps, the snowy landscape and mountains framing the drama at all turns. Vivaldi’s Summer plays as a thematic bridge between the long, expansive shots of this adventurous vacation, and the scenes of emotional turmoil.

            While lauded as a dark comedy, there’s more drama than laughs. The intervening couple, who shake up the other couple’s situation and force them to look at each other, serve as the only comedic benchmarks. There’s also little moments, like when the husband cries unabashedly when his wife asks him to unroll his emotional baggage, or when he tries to explain him actions, which he does terribly. The ending is a great exercise in subtle comedy, switching the situation around on the wife. I found the entire film cathartic, brilliant, and ribald in its message.