Oscars 2015: "Force Majeure"

Force Majeure

Saw "Force Majeure" last night, Sweden's official entry to this year's Best Foreign Language Film race at the Oscars. It's an excellent film about a marriage unraveling during a family's ski trip. Funny, heartfelt and thought-provoking. It's the story of Tomas and Ebba and their two children Vera and Harry.

This movie is the polar opposite of "Gone Girl", the other film about marriage currently playing in theaters and this one feels more real, more relatable but just as damn gorgeous as David Fincher's film.

The scenes in the snow-covered Alps and the symbolic avalanche at the start of the film (and depicted in the film still above) -- just breathtaking!

This is only the 3rd among the 83 films contending for the Oscars that I have seen so far and I believe it has a strong chance at making the shortlist but, personally, I rank it 2nd behind "The Gambler" from Lithuania but ahead of Venezuela's "The Liberator". I have 80 more films to go. Oh, wait, make that 79. I ain't gonna spend 5 hours for a Lav Diaz film!

"Force Majeure" opens in Los Angeles October 24.

Rating: 5 Stars

XXX
Raymond Lo