--- title: "Force Majeure: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/force-majeure/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/force-majeure" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Force Majeure (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 14 reviews: 12 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Force Majeure’s uncomfortable comedy about marriage, male pride and instinct under pressure. Praise centres on Östlund’s controlled direction, the precise framing of the avalanche scare and the awkward conversations that follow. The reviews repeatedly credit the performances with making the family’s distress convincing, even as their behaviour becomes painfully funny. For many, the film’s strength lies in letting a single panicked decision expose assumptions about protection, responsibility and gender roles. Reservations concern repetition, length and how fully the characters develop beyond the questions they provoke. Several otherwise favourable reviews find the later stretches less assured. The spread runs from enthusiastic praise to mixed responses rather than outright rejection. Little White Lies admires the cinematography but finds the drama contrived and short on character depth; Eye for Film likewise praises the supporting cast while finding the central couple’s recurring tension irritating rather than revealing. ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/force-majeure/5072061.article) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating A-. 23 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/force-majeure-is-a-darkly-comic-study-of-male-ego-in-co-1798181694) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 April 2015. 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. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/force-majeure-film-review-ruben-ostlunds-black-comedy-will-rock-your-world-10167415.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 April 2015. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/12/force-majeure-film-review-ruben-ostlund-avalanche) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 21 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/force-majeure) ## Empire — David Hughes Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2015. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/force-majeure-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Boyd van Hoeij Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/force-majeure-turist-cannes-review-703556/) ## Little White Lies — Neil Young Rating 4/3/3. 9 April 2015. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/force-majeure) ## Film Comment 17 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/film-of-the-week-force-majeure/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 31 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-force-majeure-review-20141031-column.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Godfrey Cheshire 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. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/force-majeure-2014) ## Slant Magazine 20 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/force-majeure/) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden 24 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/movies/force-majeure-a-dark-swedish-comedy.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 18 May 2014. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/cannes-film-review-force-majeur-turist-1201184517/) ## HeyUGuys — Jon Lyus Rating 5/5. 22 May 2014. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/cannes-2014-force-majeure-review/) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating B+. 24 October 2014. The critic finds the film a delightful mix of humor and insight into family instincts during crisis, praising the balanced tone and strong performances. [Read the review](https://collider.com/force-majeure-review-ruben-ostlund/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/11/film-review-force-majeure/) ## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams Rating 4/5. 25 February 2015. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/glasgow-film-festival-force-majeure) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2014. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/force-majeure-review-sweden-oscars-ruben-ostlund/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 11 April 2015. 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. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/force-majeure-2014-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Digital Spy — Emma Dibdin 10 April 2015. 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. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a641045/force-majeure-review-a-gloriously-unsettling-domestic-drama/) ## NME 27 April 2015. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-16049-315793) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 8.0. 21 October 2014. Praises the provocative exploration of how a moment of panic reveals truths about marriage and perception, noting the ambiguity and strong acting. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/force-majeure) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A-/B+. 27 May 2014. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/cannes-review-ruben-ostlunds-sharp-icily-funny-force-majeure-20140527/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/force-majeure.md