In legalese, the term ‘Force Majeure’ refers to ‘acts of God’ that free all concerned parties from contractual obligation, due to the circumstances being beyond anyone’s control. In the Swedish film of the same name, written and directed by Ruben Östlund, the contract is a marriage and the inciting incident, is a landslide.
We screened the film, Force Majeure this week and are excited to see that it is an official entry in this year’s Academy Awards…
Official Swedish Oscar® Entry – Best Foreign Language Film
FORCE MAJEURE is from Magnolia Pictures and will be in theaters October 24, 2014
“Tomas” & “Ebba” played by Johannes Kuhnke & Lisa Loven Kongsli, are a married couple with their children on a skiing vacation in the French Alps, when a controlled avalanche comes a little close for comfort, Tomas runs for his life, leaving his wife and children. A moment later Tomas realizes that his family and everyone outside are fine, the avalanche stopped short. What follows is the unraveling of a family, desperately trying to hold together. The humor comes in as other guests are trying to either defend or condemn Tomas’s actions, like with saying “He ran so that way he could try to dig them out” as an attempted reason for the cowardice. Don’t let the Swedish subtitles sway you, the concepts of waning manliness, familial obligation and cringeworthy mistakes are relatable no matter the language.
We don’t want to spoil this film and recommend it as it tells a story that could happen to any family, how prepared are you for a disaster and would you panic when it happens without a moments notice? We were torn watching this film because your natural reaction is to save yourself but when you are the patriarch of a family, this dilemma is one that will shake your preconceived notion that you would save the world… are you sure? Would you?
Winner of the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard category of this year’s Cannes Film Festival
Limited Release in theatres October 24th, 2014
About FORCE MAJEURE
A Swedish family travels to the French Alps to enjoy a few days of skiing. The sun is shining and the slopes are spectacular but, during a lunch at a mountainside restaurant, an avalanche turns everything upside down. With diners fleeing in all directions, mother Ebba calls for her husband Tomas as she tries to protect their children. Tomas, meanwhile, is running for his life… The anticipated disaster failed to occur, and yet the family’s world has been shaken to its core, a question mark hanging over their father in particular. Tomas and Ebba’s marriage now hangs in the balance as Tomas struggles desperately to reclaim his role as family patriarch. FORCE MAJEURE is an observational comedy about the role of the male in modern family life. (Magnolia Pictures)
Written and Directed by Ruben Östlund
Starring Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren
