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[Insomnio]

"Force Majeure" was the Swedish entry for the "Best Foreign Language Film" at the 87th Academy Awards! Although it made the January shortlist, it didn’t manage to be one of the five nominations for the Golden Statuette. However, "Force Majeure" won the jury prize in the competition section "Un Certain Regard" at last year's Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for "Best Foreign Language Film" at the Golden Globes where it lost to the Russian film "Leviathan".
Since my childhood, I have had a great love for Sweden. So, there was no way to lose "Force Majeure" on the big screen. I can not say that I'm aware of Swedish cinema, but I can say with confidence that "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence" was the worst and most boring movie I watched in the cinema last year! So, I was coy about the content of "Force Majeure" although I had heard very positive comments from a famous Greek film critic. The movie presents a brief family vacation of four Swedes, who have gone to the French Alps for skiing and spending time in a luxury hotel complex. On the second day of their stay, they will be confronted with an uncontrolled avalanche while they are having lunch on the roof of the hotel and the father panics and runs away from his family. When he returns back, his wife will be disappointed about his reaction which causes her doubts and emotionally deadlocks about their relationship. "Force Majeure" has very good directing, original screenplay, well-written dialogues and amazing photography! The Swedish director Ruben Östlund was not restricted to the visual part of the film but he also wrote the script. I was really impressed in some scenes as most outdoor shootings were captivated and the white backdrop of the film was magnificent. The performances were good enough from the two main actors although the crying of protagonist Johannes Bah Kuhnke before the end, sounded quite exaggerated and tragicomic. However, the film has all the elements that always feature the remarkable productions. "Force Majeure" is full of symbolism, profound messages and ethical dilemmas between the leading pair and the development of the plot is very interesting without tiring us. Essentially, "Force Majeure" deals aptly with the biggest fear of human beings, which is none other than death.
"Force Majeure" is definitely one of the best Scandinavian movies I've seen so far. It received very good reviews from experts in the film industry and was nominated in many recognizable festivals! It has amassed a high score on IMDb (7,5) and it distinguishes from other European productions of last year. Personally, I would give much more because it is a film that you can hardly forget through the years and it is one of the movies that you sit and discuss with your friends for a long time after leaving the movie theater.