Review: Force Majeure
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
A freak occurrence puts strain on a marriage in Ruben Östlund's crafty melodrama.
City Paper grade: A-
A freak occurrence puts strain on a marriage in Ruben Östlund’s crafty melodrama. Johannes Kuhnke and Lisa Loven Kongsli seem like a happy couple as they embark on a ski trip with their two children, but a moment of weakness on his part brings their troubles to the surface like a zombie bursting from a shallow grave, turning their vacation into a marital gauntlet. The subject matter is so familiar as to be mundane, but Östlund stages the couple’s gradual unraveling as a sly comic horror, where once the floodgates have been opened every minor infraction becomes a major issue. It’s painful and darkly hilarious; as the screws tighten, you lose track of whether you’re grinning or wincing.
