I’m pretty sure that I got this pick from a review in The Economist. That publication doesn’t talk about films very often and since I’m subscriber I pay attention when it does. This film did fairly well on the awards circuit, was listed among the best films of 2014 and perhaps most of all, I suspected that it would be a film that my wife would enjoy.

Despite its title, this one is a Swedish film, albeit one that is set entirely in a ski resort in the French Alps. A family of four, consisting of husband Tomas, his wife Ebba and their two children, are taking a vacation there. One morning while they are relaxing and having breakfast on the outdoor terrace with a spectacular view of the mountainside, they happen to witness a controlled avalanche, presumably initiated to ensure that not too much snow builds up on the slopes. It turns out however that there are varying degrees of control when it comes to something as powerful as an avalanche and the family watches with growing horror as it descends upon them. At this point, you might think that this a disaster film and its poster certainly hints in that direction. You would be wrong however as Force Majeure is much more interesting than a simple disaster film.

It’s not much of a spoiler to say that no one dies in this story. The family experiences not so much a disaster but a near brush with death. In his moment of panic, Tomas hurriedly grabs his camera and runs away from the table. Ebba on the other hand huddles the children close to herself while the entire landscape turns to white. No one is harmed as it turns out to just be a light cloud of snow, yet this event would weigh on this family. The central theme of the film becomes obvious: which are the actions that define who a person really is deep inside? The instinctive reactions in the heat of the moment when one has no time to think or the carefully considered and cultivated decisions that form the routine of everyday life?

Director Ruben Östlund impresses with both the groundedness of the scenario as well as his grasp of psychology. The first thing Ebba does immediately following the incident is to sit down and have them finish their breakfast, an absurd but utterly human reaction to not knowing what else to do. When he is finally confronted about it, Tomas tries to pass it off as agreeing to disagree about each other’s version of events, again a very male thing to do. Rather than rush towards a confrontation, Ebba finds it gnawing in her mind as she is unable to reconcile the husband who she has always known and this person who would deny a plainly obvious fact. Another good scene is when the couple are having dinner with another couple and the guests are awkwardly drawn into the argument. Neither of them really want to be there, nor do they know what to say, yet both feel socially obliged to offer some comfort and advice.

It helps that this weighty discussion takes place amidst some impressive scenery and arresting imagery. The percussion booms of the resort’s avalanche-control measures echo across the snowy landscape. The remote-controlled drone that the family plays with during their downtime flits outside the window like an ominous UFO. The film depicts the workings of the ski resort and the routines of its visitors in considerable detail, an added plus for most Malaysians who will likely never visit one their whole lives. My wife and I marveled at the number of different forms of mechanized transport to take the skiers to different pistes.

Good as it is, Force Majeure isn’t without its faults. For one thing, it could be improved with a bit more editing. At least one extended conversation doesn’t seem to offer enough of a payoff to be included in the final cut. As amusing as it is that the director got the idea from a viral YouTube video, I found myself being disappointed with the ending he came up with. For a film that had thus far being adroit about avoiding any pat conclusions or trite moralization, it comes across as being far too on the nose. Yet none of these problems prevent this from being one of the most interesting films of 2014.