Snow Therapy

When a man falls out of his role... As with an avalanche, even an imperceptible stimulus is enough to trigger a relationship crisis. One selfish act of self-preservation leads to further transgressions and misconduct. Instead of falsely cheerful vacation pictures (the film begins with the staging of one such photograph), we watch the chronicle of a breakup. The demoralising atmosphere of mutual mistrust also sucks in the loved ones of the conflicting parties. This avalanche may not kill anyone, but it won’t make them stronger either. The mountain scenery provides a benchmark for assessing the severity of the problems that the characters face. The setting, the unsettling musical motif and many of the situations depicted (disappearing into the fog, the incompetent bus driver) promise great tragedy, which is the perspective that corresponds to how the head of the family wants to see his failure. What actually unfolds on the screen, however, is an intimate family drama. The voyeuristic, predominantly static camera, which as a matter of principle does not assume the point of view of the characters, does not explicitly lead us to a clear interpretation, but the shot compositions make it clear that the weak link here is not the woman who is being pushed out of the picture, but rather the man who doubts his own masculinity to such an extent that he has to ostentatiously convince himself (through a drinking session with the parameters of a pre-civilisation male ritual) and those around him of it: the attempt at intimacy with his wife, reflected in a mirror, has the same vague contours as Tomas’s status as head of the family. The devastation is accelerated by the fact that both partners desperately lack a sense of detachment, unlike the director, who enjoys demolishing the tense atmosphere of Bergman-esque psychological drama with incursions from worlds that are different in terms of genre (the attack of a child’s drone, the sticker on the door). Thanks to the unwillingness to compromise or to in any way make the characters’ situation easier for them, Force Majeure is an invaluable training video for similarly “calamitous” situations in your own relationship. 80% (23/01/2015)

The Scandinavian festival in Mladá Boleslav prepared a real gem for me for one Wednesday evening. The director Ruben Östlund has already convinced me once with the film Play that he can be original and the Force Majeure seemed at least as interesting. The result exceeded all expectations. This is an absolutely precise decomposition of the man/woman relationship and parents/children relationships in one not entirely pleasant situation. It made me sick for a while, but the director softened everything with a lot of good and funny scenes. The actors were also good, and if only the final scene of the dad having a psychotic episode had been a little better, I would’ve been absolutely satisfied. Seen based on the Challenge Tour 2015. (27/04/2015)

Paradies: Schnee. An intense relationship avalanche that rolls around the peaks of Bergman, Trier, Seidl and Andersson and ends (typically for Östlund) with a large and seemingly superfluous thesis, which even in film form presents the role of hypocrisy and falsehood in the construction of reality. While I consider the first 2/3 of the film to be absolutely brilliant in observing details and working with a change of mood, the conclusion, as in the case of Play, feels like an intellectual construct without debates from an extremely clever creator. There are several places where Ruben could cut off the film as a chilling image of intimate collapse and uncertainty, but he prefers to go with the enigmatic metaphor of the collective. Force Majeure is the type of film that can shake confidence in love relationships and accurately capture the fragility and degree of manipulation with which we keep them going. It is also the exact naming of the thin crust under which the distinguished Nordic society locked instincts, which then wants to be heard, with surprising intensity, in an environment full of bizarre human rituals (in this aspect, Force Majeure reminds of Seidl's trilogy Paradise). Confirmation that Östlund belongs to the top echelons of art film. Maybe he just didn't have to emphasize it so much. [80%] (07/10/2014)

An interesting relationship drama filmed as a psychological drama of a family taken out of the routine of domestic life and exposed to a test of trust. Its sense of atmosphere created by the editing and selection of musical motifs cannot be denied, as well as the decent acting of unfamiliar actors from the North and, after all, the ability to sometimes strike a nerve. However, I will ultimately not give the film a fourth star because Östlund sometimes gets lost in intellectual theses instead of characterizing the problems of partnership life objectively. Some viewers, including myself, will somewhat wonder about what the author wanted to convey, for example, through the pedestrian descent of hotel guests through mountain switchbacks toward civilization. If the entire conflict is built on a story with an avalanche, then the director misses out on much of human psychology and what constitutes the foundation of partnership relationships. Similar incidents belong to the category of those that can annoy, but just like the fallen avalanche of snow, emotions will soon subside and a sober-minded person will only laugh at them. A much greater danger to partnership cohesion is a hysterical outburst of self-pity, pettiness, and self-contempt, as demonstrated by the film's protagonist facing his wife. They belong to those that can forever change one's perspective on a partner and easily destroy the prospect of continued coexistence. By the way, from the perspective of dramatic structure, it would have been much better for the film to let the viewer balance their sympathies for the actors of the story and keep them undecided as to whose side to ultimately lean toward. Until the mentioned scene, the film prompted thinking, but after that, it was only about taking positions. If I were willing to view the avalanche story as a catalyst for long-simmering dissatisfaction, when a hundred nothings can exhaust and one spark can unexpectedly ignite a barrel of gunpowder, the reactions and actions of all family members would make much more sense. However, Östlund never gave me any indications for that and probably meant it exactly as he filmed it. Overall impression: 60%. (07/10/2014)

The archetype of the Nordic family drama you can simply count on. This time it's the man's position in society that takes the heat and, more importantly, the expectations and ideas of what a man like that should be. Tomas is the first to take a powder before the seeming avalanche, not forgetting to take his mobile phone with him from the table, then he does not publicly declare this act and still tries to gain the higher ground over his wife on the topic. The family peace is not particularly helped by the arrival of Tomas's newly divorced friend with his twenty-year-old trophy and the overgrown charisma of a guy who can afford not to care about anything. The only time Tomas manages to somehow exalt his manhood is at an incredible atavistic party, where sweaty half-naked men pour beers and vomit all over each other, with strobe lights flashing and techno blaring. The problem with the given situation is also the setting, where the luxurious mountain resort may offer plenty of opportunities for recreation, fun, and relaxation, but in the long static shots we gradually realize that none of the characters belong there, that they have no corner or place to release. Compared to the occasional hysteria on IMDB, where guys are afraid of their nature and hide behind lines like "this is male-bashing feminist bs", I see this as a rather optimistic and credible probe for reflection, which basically says "family will castrate you, but you need to get over it and kind of just deal". (12/05/2015)

Dans les moments critiques, les gens réagissent selon trois schémas de base et se divisent ainsi en trois groupes fondamentaux. La réaction ne peut être apprise, donc on ne peut blâmer personne d'appartenir au groupe A ou au groupe C et de réagir de telle ou telle manière. De nombreuses circonstances entrent en jeu. Dans le film, malheureusement, tout s'intensifie par la présence d'enfants dans une situation critique jusqu'à ce que, malheureusement, quelqu'un du groupe C se fasse reprocher par sa femme d'avoir tout foutu en l'air. Débarque ensuite un autre couple et on se retrouve ainsi avec un xième excellent film du maître réalisateur suédois. Un spectacle stimulant. (02/12/2023)

Personally, I was disappointed. I have no idea why comedy was listed as one of the genres. The film would work for me as a drama if it was an hour shorter. I felt snowed under with shots of snow-covered Alps, snow-covered forests and snow-covered roofs. All those close-ups of steel wire ropes made me feel like I was supposed to inspect the safety of the cable car. Either the running time should have been shorter or the story should have been more engaging. (05/01/2020)

Interesting movie, which is presented as a comedy, but it is smart enough to make you think about who we actually are, what we are capable of, and willing to do for others in our lives. Will we run away when immediate danger threatens us, or will we first want to save our loved ones? (04/10/2017)

This is my second encounter with director Ruben Östlund after the bitter comedy The Square and I must admit that I'm really impressed. While I don't yet know his other films, these two present some serious themes in an absolutely original way. While The Square is more or less an indictment of contemporary European society, Force Majeure deals with the disruption of the harmony of one seemingly peaceful family. I stared in disbelief at how differently perceived experience of a seemingly innocent avalanche can completely dismantle the relationship between two people who had been quite happy together until then. Then, of course, it also has an impact on their children. The considerably depressing story is further intensified by the slow narrative, unsettling musical accompaniment, and the chilling setting of the mountains. There are, however, a few humorous situations to lighten things up. Overall, this is an excellent relationship drama and I applaud the author. (85%) (23/03/2020)