Force Majeure

The film was two solid and riveting hours of relationship drama between a gorgeous Swedish couple and their children (a young daughter and son) on a 5 day ski getaway in the French Alps.

Worst. Vacation. Ever.

After a ‘controlled avalanche incident,’ their psyches and relationship start to unravel – mostly in public. It was amazing and shocking.

This was the best film about modern marriage I’ve seen this century. The film digs down deep under the beautiful façade to dissect the two individuals in the marriage and its effect on the people in its circle – their young children, their divorced best friend and his 20-something date.

The best scenes involve the male star and his best friend (both gorgeous, likeable, Swedish and deeply flawed) – skiing alone in deep powder to avoid talking at any cost with the most incredible scenery, posing for an admiring woman in an outdoor bar après-ski and hilarity that ensues, talking about therapy, the male point of view and (most incredible of all) having an emotional breakdown.

The film was angst-filled, however, the ending made me feel hopeful about their weathering the storm and moving onto better things as a real relationship ideally should. It perfectly illustrates a European, till death do us part definition of marriage that is very different than the "this is not perfect, let's get divorced and move onto someone else" North American standard version.