Force Majeure Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.5

Force Majeure Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 30, 2015

Selected to represent Sweden in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 87th Academy Awards, Ruben Östlund's "Force Majeure" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; behind the scenes featurette; and Oscar nomination scene. In Swedish, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Does not look controlled to me..."

Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke, The Inheritance), Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli, Fatso), and their two children arrive in an expensive hotel in the French Alps where they are planning to have an exciting ski holiday. A day later, however, a controlled avalanche hits the large patio where the four are having lunch and shakes up the family's foundation.

Ebba is so disappointed with Tomas’ reaction that she immediately begins to reevaluate her relationship with him. The feeling that she might have married a man she never really knew well pushes her on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown.

But it is Tomas that collapses first. After a series of failed attempts to logically explain and justify his reaction, Tomas collapses in front of Ebba and their children and irreversibly damages his authoritative father image.

Meanwhile, the children quietly observe the exchanges between their parents and their unsuccessful attempts to restore balance in their relationship. Though they don’t fully grasp their arguments, the static in the air quickly convince them that it is only a matter of time before they will be forced to choose between the two.

Directed by Swedish helmer Ruben Östlund, Force Majeure dissects marriage and analyses its strengths and weaknesses in a manner that reminds of Ingmar Bergman’s work. Indeed, the film carefully draws one into the world of its protagonists and then encourages one to examine their relationship and system of beliefs from a variety of different angles.

The film is broken into multiple uneven chapters, each focusing on an event that triggers unexpected reactions that repeatedly take the main protagonists out of their comfort zones. It is then, after they begin to question each other and then doubt themselves, that the film is most effective as it convincingly proves that the two sexes are equally vulnerable and insecure.

A seemingly casual conversation during the second half quickly challenges the social function of marriage in a contemporary society, but the opposing views are not used to produce any important observations. The film simply highlights the obvious -- expectations have evolved and with them the commitments that define marriage.

The direction is confident and precise. The camera does not move unless it absolutely has to, but the visuals do not have the cold and sterile appearance some of Michael Haneke’s best films are known for. It is essentially treated as a curious but very respectful observer that knows well how to remain unnoticed for long periods of time.

The chemistry between Kuhnke and Kongsli is outstanding. There is an incredible range of emotions on display, but none appear forced or exaggerated. Kristofer Hivju also leaves a lasting impression as the insecure boyfriend who is forced to reexamine his relationship with a much younger woman.

Force Majeure Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ruben Östlund's Force Majeure arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

Shot with the Arri Alexa camera, the film looks exceptionally crisp and vibrant. Depth is outstanding, with many of the outdoor panoramic shots actually resembling digital photographs, while the close-ups boast impressive clarity (see screencaptures #5 and 18). Some minor contrast fluctuations emerge from time to time, but they can be traced back to the manner in which light is captured by the camera (see screencaptures #4 and 16). Colors are solid and natural. Overall image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is an excellent technical presentation of Force Majeure that makes it very easy to appreciate the artistic vision of its creator. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

Force Majeure Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Swedish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Swedish LPCM 2.0. Imposed English subtitles are provided for the main feature (they cannot be turned off from the main menu or via the remote control). They appear inside the image frame.

The film does not have an aggressive music score, but it has a very unique sound design -- there are random sounds and noises which are actually carefully identified and have important roles. Depth and clarity are outstanding, and during the mass scenes dynamic intensity could be quite impressive. The dialog is exceptionally clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Force Majeure Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Force Majeure. In Swedish, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Behind the Scenes - standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film. Also included are clips from an interview with director Ruben Östlund. In Swedish, with imposed English subtitles. (13 min).

• Oscar Nomination Scene - the director and the producer of Force Majeure are seen waiting for the livestream announcement of best foreign language film nominees. The piece was shot at Trump Hotel, New York, 2015. In Swedish, with imposed English subtitles. (7 min).

Force Majeure Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Swedish family of four has a very unusual holiday in Ruben Östlund's excellent satire Force Majeure. I like the film a lot and I think that it should have been amongst the finalists in Best Foreign Language Film category of the 87th Academy Awards. Artificial Eye's technical presentation of Force Majeure is excellent. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.