FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Ruben Östlund - Force Majeure

In Ruben Östlund's edgy marriage drama, a young Swedish family spends their holidays in the French Alps skiing. On the first day, they are portrayed "en famille" by a photographer. You can buy the sentimental proof of coherence and fun in the family. On the second day the unexpected happens: while they eat on the terrace of the ski hut, an avalanche loosens from the mountain opposite. It's easy to miss something the first time you watch the movie or it's the concept of force majeure: The avalanche races towards the hut, everyone jumps up, some panic. The father Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) flees to the roof of the hut. He leaves his wife and two children at the table. Luckily the avalanche does not hit her, she lies down in front of the hut. Only a cloud of powder snow makes the image appear white for about two minutes. After this shock, the guests finish their meal. "But all this was not so bad" remains an illusion, especially for the Swedish family. At first Tomas reacts confused because his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) is irritated by the incident. What reason could she have? Instead of saying it clearly, she just shrugs her shoulders. But then she becomes clearer: During a dinner with another couple, she tells how Tomas ran away, grabbed his cell phone, but not her own son. How he abandoned his family to save himself. That never happened, replies Tomas, who remembers a completely different version. They try to reconcile, but the emotions about this incident grow... Unlike in "normal" film, we don't take on the perspective of a character. The film steps back behind both, so we have to look for our own resolution. It is important that there are no two opinions: The wife alone is in the right with her view of things. It's all about the relativity of truth. The point is that a partner fatally violates his duties towards the family, but does not admit this to himself. Östlund's drama (which also offers very funny moments) is one of the most impressive films of recent times! With his cool, distanced style Ruben Östlund can now count himself among the greats in Europe!