Force Majeure

Force Majeure (2014), Ruben Östlund's Swedish drama, is available to watch online on iFILM. A family of four checks into a ski resort high in the French Alps for five days of powder, sunshine, and photogenic mountain views.

Day two, lunch on the terrace, a controlled avalanche rolls down the slope. It looks gorgeous — until the wall of snow surges toward the restaurant. Ebba grabs the kids. Thomas, her husband, grabs his phone and bolts, leaving his family behind. The avalanche turns out to be harmless, the dust settles, everyone shuffles back to the table. But those three seconds have already broken something: Thomas insists he never ran, Ebba can't let it go, and the holiday curdles into a slow autopsy of who a person becomes under pressure.

Östlund films discomfort with surgical patience — long static shots scored to grinding snow groomers and an ominous burst of Vivaldi. The film took the Jury Prize in Cannes' Un Certain Regard and made the Oscar shortlist. One for viewers who like their cringe and their comedy in the same frame. Stream Force Majeure (2014) online on iFILM.