Force Majeure (2014)

A sardonic, serious, funny, precision-controlled psycho-comedy-drama that is the director’s best yet, with superb direction, visual unity, and ability to provoke laughs while exploring survival instincts.

The review calls it a darkly comic study of imploding male ego and fragile masculinity, highlighting the black humor, strong performances (especially Kuhnke), and formal control while noting a minor fault in bypassing a perfect ending.

The critic calls it a gripping black comedy about a family skiing holiday disrupted by an avalanche that exposes cracks in relationships and masculinity. Östlund and the cast are praised for creating an odd, unsettling film that throws viewers off balance.

The critic finds the film compelling, intelligent and grimly entertaining despite some flaws and an overstretched length. The single-shot avalanche sequence early in the film and the subsequent psychological fallout on the family are singled out for their power and control.

The film is a remarkably confident and subtle comedy where a family’s domesticity unravels after the father abandons them during a perceived avalanche, turning into a study in deflated masculinity. Praises the way it builds through verbal takedowns.

The review describes a devious Swedish drama about a father fleeing an avalanche, sparking questions about survival instinct, modern manhood and marriage. It is characterized as a brittle black comedy that leaves audiences with plenty to ponder.

The critic describes a sharply observed, confrontational film about the emotional fallout from a father's instinctive decision to save himself rather than his family during an avalanche scare. It is called solid and provocative overall, though the finale is noted as a minor misstep.

The critic finds the film doesn’t quite reach its peak, being intermittently engaging but ultimately a hollow contrivance despite stylish execution. Praises the assured cinematography and handling of the milieu but complains it’s more concerned with sparking discussion than deep character development.

The film centers on a Swedish family's ski holiday disrupted by an avalanche that exposes the father's cowardice, unraveling his marriage and self-image. Östlund uses a long, shocking single shot of the avalanche to launch a precise, unsettling examination of bourgeois masculinity and denial.

Turan calls it a precise film about an out-of-control situation that raises provocative questions about gender stereotypes in marriage. He praises the director's control and the leads' verisimilitude.

The critic praises the film's sharp examination of marital upset triggered by the father's actions during the avalanche, noting its forensic plotting and nuanced performances. He highlights how it stands back to let viewers draw conclusions about the characters' failings.

The critic praises Östlund’s grasp of imploding relationships, visual flair, and ability to mine cringe-inducing comedy from the material while examining gender roles and self-knowledge; the script is called somewhat stagy but the result triumphantly cinematic.

Holden describes it as a brilliant, viciously amusing takedown of bourgeois complacency and gender stereotypes that rubs the face in human frailty like a Haneke film. He notes the keen understanding of control over nature and human nature.

Debruge sees it as Michael Haneke meets Scenes From a Marriage, with icy detachment that studies the consequences of the father's self-preservation instinct. He notes the visually stunning style and emotional perceptiveness.

The film is a scathing and acerbic comedy about contemporary couples, male pride and human instinct under pressure. It highlights strong performances, especially from Kristofer Hivju as the friend.

The critic finds the film a delightful mix of humor and insight into family instincts during crisis, praising the balanced tone and strong performances.

The review highlights the film's dark comedy and character study of a family unraveling after a panic-induced decision, commending the performances especially Lisa Loven Kongsli's.

A Swedish family on a ski holiday in the Alps sees their perfect facade crack after an avalanche incident reveals the father's instinctive cowardice. Östlund skewers gender roles with formal playfulness, raw emotion and tension akin to a horror film, creating discomfort and ambiguity.

The critic finds the film bleakly funny and emotionally gutting, calling it a prickly date-night movie that puts its characters and audience through an emotional wringer. They single out the way the director mines the avalanche incident for awkward hilarity and its ongoing impact on family dynamics and masculinity.

The film offers strong visual interludes and excellent work from the child actors and supporting players like Kristofer Hivju, but the central couple's repetitive tension becomes irritating and lacks psychological depth.

A middle-class Swedish family on holiday in the Alps faces upheaval after the father flees an avalanche instead of protecting his family, exposing cracks in their relationship and gender roles. Östlund delivers a pitiless, insightful and brutally funny deconstruction of domestic fragility and masculinity.

On a skiing holiday, a Swedish couple's dynamic shifts after the husband flees an apparent avalanche, leaving the wife to confront his cowardice and refusal to acknowledge it. Östlund's scathing psychological drama uses the chilly setting to heighten precise emotional revelations between the pair.

Praises the provocative exploration of how a moment of panic reveals truths about marriage and perception, noting the ambiguity and strong acting.

The biting satire is brutally smart and original, with precise observations on bourgeois behavior in crisis, though it loses some focus in the later acts.