Tomas, a workaholic businessman, and his wife, Ebba, are on vacation in the French Alps with their two pre-teen children on a Skiiing holiday. They appear to be the traditional loving family but Ebba is frustrated with Tomas' demanding job, hoping a family vacation will remind Tomas what is truly important. During lunch at a restaurant overlooking the mountainside, an avalanche threatens to destroy their family unit once-and-for-all. With the avalanche approaching, panic ensues, with Ebba doing her best to protect her children. In a panic, Tomas flees for himself, a spontaneous decision that shakes the very foundation of his marriage. Although the anticipated disaster never comes to fruition, Tomas now finds himself demasculated, with Ebba unsure of his role in their family. Ruben Ostlund's Force Majeure is a unique experience, a film that is wickedly funny but also a poignant study of gender roles and relationships. This is a film intent on capturing the delicate balance of relationships, showing how expectations and society-placed gender roles can create unwanted strife in a relationship. As the film progresses, this one spontaneous act snowballs, affecting not only Tomas and his wife's relationship but also the relationship they have with their children and even another couple who they befriend. This is why the setting of Force Majeure is so perfect, with the delicate nature of snow-covered mountaintops turning into a ferious avalanche being symbolic of the delicate nature of relationships. The tone of Force Majeure is truly unique, being surprisingly playful in its dissertation of relationships, laughing at the pre-conceived gender roles society has placed on us. Very funny and emotionally affecting, Force Majeure is an observant psychodrama that captures the delicate nature of relationships in a society where preconceived roles are already defined.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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