Plot
A family on a ski holiday in the French Alps find themselves staring down an avalanche during lunch one day; in the aftermath, their dynamic has been shaken to its core, with a question mark hanging over their patriarch in particular.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 7.8/10 (1,092 voted)
Critic's Score: 87/100
Director: Ruben Östlund
Stars: Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren
Storyline
A Swedish family travels to the French Alps to enjoy a few days of skiing. The sun is shining and the slopes are spectacular but, during a lunch at a mountainside restaurant, an avalanche turns everything upside down. With diners fleeing in all directions, mother Ebba calls for her husband Tomas as she tries to protect their children. Tomas, meanwhile, is running for his life... The anticipated disaster failed to occur, and yet the family's world has been shaken to its core, a question mark hanging over their father in particular. Tomas and Ebba's marriage now hangs in the balance as Tomas struggles desperately to reclaim his role as family patriarch.
Cast: Johannes Kuhnke -
Tomas
Lisa Loven Kongsli -
Ebba
Clara Wettergren -
Vera
Vincent Wettergren -
Harry
Brady Corbet -
Brady
Jakob Granqvist -
Kristofer Hivju -
Fanni Metelius -
Fanny
Trivia:
Official submission of Sweden to the best foreign language film category of the 87th Academy Awards 2015. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 9/10
I came in to the cinema not expecting much because there are very few
films from Sweden that I have liked. Only 10 minutes into the film I
knew that this was something new. The music and use of diegetic sounds
are brilliantly used to enhance the mood of each shot.
The story is simply a family going to a vacation in the alps, it is
revealed early that this is because the husband of the family is too
distant for his wife and family.
The families shared experience with an avalanche - which makes for a
magnificent one-shot scene - catalytically sets of the character driven
drama that the four following days carry.
Without going too much into depth on the plot, it is for me the weakest
link in this film. While it is surely an interesting drama and
masterfully shot, scored and acted, for me it falls short of the
potential the film could have. The characters' relations are built up
well and made me feel engaged in their story until they resolved their
problems. I wouldn't say that the resolution was forced, but it seemed
too easy.
As a whole this film was one of the best, if not the best film I have
seen this year, and I look forward to the next Ruben Östlund film!
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