2014’s “Force Majeure” dealt with the patriarchy, what a man’s worth is all about in a society that is slowly, but surely empowering women as equals, breadwinners if you will. Telling the story of a man, his family, and their chaotic, existential ski trip, which is shaken up by a false-flagged avalanche scare, the film was director Ruben Ostlund’s international breakthrough. A few years later, he would win the Palme D’Or for his film “The Square.” Here is the synopsis of “Downhill”: “Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell star in this biting comedy.” Here’s what I wrote about “Force Majeure” and its key sequence, for Awards Daily, back in 2014: “The money shot in Östlund’s “Force Majeure” happens in the first few minutes of the film. It’s a four and a half minute shot that will leave you gasping for air and in disarray about what just happened. A Swedish family dines in an outdoor patio, we overhear people nervously gasping about an innocent-looking avalanche coming their way. “It’s a controlled avalanche don’t worry”, says the father. Lo and behold it looks to be more than that as the avalanche comes towards the patio enveloping the screen with whiteness and having the father run for his life without thinking about his family’s fate. Fight or flight response? Or just plain cowardice? Of course, our patriarch was right, the avalanche was indeed controlled, but his actions are now questioned and his role as family patriarch is jeopardized.” The film will be released on Valentine’s Day 2020. Contribute Hire me
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