Movies: Force Majeure

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - Marriages are complicated constructions. Like everything complex they can easily be discomposed. The movie "Force Majeure" describes a marriage crisis caused by an unforeseen and sudden incident  - the "force majeure" (imdb).  A middle-aged Scandinavian couple with two kids has a 5-days vacation in a luxury French mountain resort when something happens which challenges everything (this is a spoiler free blog).

Director Ruben Östlund created a cinematic masterpiece about relationships, spiced with philosophy, humor and surprises. He found the perfect structure between casual family live, sudden dramatic and funny scenes. The film is entertaining, but thought provoking.

It is fun to watch the international little known but brilliant Scandinavian cast: Lisa Loven Kongsli (the wife) Kjell Bah Kuhnke (the husband), Kristofer Hivju (a friend), Fanni Metelius(the friend`s girl friend).

Cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel delivered gorgeous pictures from the awesome mountain landscape and charmed the audience with the beauty of the slopes, the virginal snow and the spell of being between thick clouds (accroding to Wikipedia the film was shot at Les Arcs, a ski resort in Savoie, France wikipedia). The congenial soundtrack amplifies the impressions without being disturbing.

Force Majeure is one of these movies which will linger in my memory for a long time.


PS For illustration I chose paintings by the Austrian artist Rudolf Stingel which show the majesty of the Alps (Alpen), the great European mountain range system. They have been displayed @ Gargosian gallery in New York last summer.