Author Topic: Force Majeure  (Read 11538 times)

FlickingDC

  • Junior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 64
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #20 on: April 01, 2015, 10:57:09 AM »
I think the movie is prodding us to reflect on traditional gender roles. One of the most fascinating things about the film to me is that I cannot imagine it with the roles of Tomas and Ebba reversed. When Ebba has the conversation about an open marriage, we get to see her reactions to an approach to life that is unconventional, especially since it is a woman who is so enthusiastic about having multiple partners.

Alan Smithee

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1111
    • http://cherrypicker.tumblr.com/
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #21 on: April 01, 2015, 08:03:46 PM »
I've never really been skiing before so what was with the cannons going off?

Melvil

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 9977
  • Eek
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #22 on: April 01, 2015, 09:38:52 PM »
I believe explosives are used to create controlled avalanches (like the one featured) in order to reduce the risk of snow settling in ways that would be much more dangerous should a natural avalanche take place.

MattDrufke

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 738
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #23 on: April 09, 2015, 07:13:58 AM »
I re-watched this recently. The scene where Tomas just loses it and begins weeping on the floor, where someone earlier suggested as funny, is the scene that really brings the movie together for me. As someone who went through a divorce, I know how vulnerable it is to not be able to be in control of emotions around your kids, and how frightening that can feel. I definitely had a hard time getting through that scene.
@ihatemattdrufke

oneaprilday

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 13746
  • "What we see and what we seem are but a dream."
    • A Journal of Film
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #24 on: April 09, 2015, 12:29:17 PM »
I re-watched this recently. The scene where Tomas just loses it and begins weeping on the floor, where someone earlier suggested as funny, is the scene that really brings the movie together for me. As someone who went through a divorce, I know how vulnerable it is to not be able to be in control of emotions around your kids, and how frightening that can feel. I definitely had a hard time getting through that scene.
It's interesting, the fine line this movie walks. I saw it with a close friend who is in the middle of a divorce (they have 5 children), and though she's got a keen sense of humor, she just couldn't see the humor at all and commented that she felt like she was seeing a different movie from everyone else in the audience (who laughed throughout). It was strange for me sitting next to her - seeing the humor myself but then finding my own laughter squelched whenever I thought about how my friend must be relating to what what was on screen.

Some humor just hits too close to home, I think, depending on personal circumstances, and this movie uses deeply real moments in relationships as the source of its humor.

I had another friend years ago who had to stop reading the Dilbert comic strip. It was just too painfully true for him, relative to his job.

jdc

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 7799
  • Accept the mystery
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #25 on: April 09, 2015, 06:53:40 PM »
While that seen doesn't hit home to me in a way that I can relate to, I didn't find it the humor in it either.  AT first I thought his melt down would have further caused her to lose respect and drive them to the breaking point.  There was a point it was just so over-the-top in performance that I could see somebody thinking it was funny but then I didn't relate the film trying to use humor in that way.
"Beer. Now there's a temporary solution."  Homer S.
“The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations” - David Friedman

Knocked Out Loaded

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1914
  • I might remember it all differently tomorrow.
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #26 on: April 12, 2015, 09:45:34 AM »
It is very interesting how the forum continue to find nuances in Force Majeure! Ruben Östlund has visited the idea behind Force Majeure before. There is a Swedish film magazine called FLM and the September 2010 issue had a DVD with Nordic shorts as a supplement. In the magazine there were brief interviews with the directors. Here is what Ruben Östlund had to say about Scen nr. 6882 ur mitt liv:

Q: How did Scene nr. 6882 ur mitt liv come about?
A: I was interested in a situation I saw on TV. An amateur had filmed an avalanche from a safe distance on a restaurant deck. In the background you could hear the guests cheering on. The avalanche grew bigger and bigger as it reached a slope near the restaurant. In a few seconds the merry outcries turned panic screams. I wanted to recreate that sudden shift.

Q: What was it you wanted to do?
A: Apart from capturing a specific human behavior I wanted to make an award wining film.

Q: What was the greatest challenge?
A: The team spent half a day to build a 6 meters high tower where we placed the camera on crane. When all was done and I could see the view on the monitor I directly understood it wouldn't work. It took a lot of energy to talk the photographer Tibor Gent and the team into dismantle the tower without doing a single shot. Tibor was very angry and sadly we haven't worked together since then.

Q: How do you look at the film with hindsight?
A: I rewatched it recently and was surprised how intelligent and funny it really is.

Q: What was the most important lesson?
A: To be able to reevaluate every step in the process.

Q: Do you think that films from the Nordic countries have a special atmosphere or tone?
A: No, like films in general, I think Nordic films mostly imitate the atmosphere and tones from successful American movies. There are exceptions, however.

Q: Which contemporary Nordic film has had the greatest impression on you?
A: I would rather say director than a specific film: Roy Andersson, without a doubt. But not his style, really. What really inspires me is his approach to his work.

https://youtu.be/YvAq9OhmIDg
Extraordinary (81-100˚) | Very good (61-80˚) | Good (41-60˚) | Fair (21-40˚) | Poor (0-20˚)

Bondo

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 23082
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #27 on: April 12, 2015, 10:06:40 AM »
I'm hoping something is being lost in translation there because some of his responses come off as being very full of himself. I definitely see the throughline from that short to Force Majeure, aside from this being apparently inspired by an incident that is more akin to what would ultimately be replicated in Force Majeure.

Knocked Out Loaded

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1914
  • I might remember it all differently tomorrow.
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #28 on: April 12, 2015, 11:02:52 AM »
In Swedish Ruben seems very confident in that short interview, but my choice of words may well have reinforced the tone a bit. What I find most fascinating is how artists get hooked on a subject and then tries to explore it from different angles.
Extraordinary (81-100˚) | Very good (61-80˚) | Good (41-60˚) | Fair (21-40˚) | Poor (0-20˚)

Jeff Schroeck

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 982
Re: Force Majeure
« Reply #29 on: April 12, 2015, 02:04:42 PM »
I get the sense that artistic humility, especially when it's exaggerated or false, is an American trait. I've never been to Europe and don't claim this as a definite truth, but I've met quite a few European bands whose members will wear their own band's T-Shirt. Over here that would be looked on as very arrogant, but it doesn't seem to be something to consider with them. It could be that Ruben Ostlund is proud of his work and doesn't have a cultural need to filter that out of his speech.

It could also be that he thinks he's the greatest.