Force Majeure ⛷
Happy Thursday! I hope you’ve been having a good week. Movies are better with friends, share the newsletter with them here.
Today’s movie is Force Majeure (2015), a black comedy directed by Swedish director Ruben Östlund, streaming on Hulu. An English-language remake called Downhill starring Will Farrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus was released this year that left people ahem… running back to the original Swedish film.
Here’s what it’s about: Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke), his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and their two kids are enjoying a week of skiing in the French Alps. However, when an avalanche seems to threaten the family, a cowardly split-second decision by Tomas leaves things awkward for the rest of the trip. [Trailer // 119 mins]
Why you should watch it: Force Majeure is a disaster movie, but not in the way you think. Tomas’ decision to abandon his family in the face of potential catastrophe in favor of *check notes* himself sets off a chain of conversations that break down everything from masculinity, marriage, and human nature with a searingly sharp and dark wit that makes it both sad and hilarious at the same time.
As the movie goes on, the entire infrastructure of the family unit is compromised as discussions (or arguments) become increasingly terse. Gorgeous, sweeping cinematography coupled with subtle direction by Östlund makes for the perfect tragicomedy that you can’t help but be engrossed in.
🍷 Pair it with:
The Big Sick (dir. Michael Showalter)
Lars and the Real Girl (dir. Craig Gillespie)
📺 Buy or Rent: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
I hope you had a great week! Stay safe and take care of each other.
See you Monday —
Karl (@karl_delo)