This is why I don't go skiing. NEVER GO SKIING YOU GUYS.

A stunning examination of masculinity in crisis and how one split second decision under duress can change the whole infrastructure of a family unit. Increasingly tense dialogue exchanges ensue. It's also surprisingly humorous at times. Some bravura sequences in this sucker too, like the epic avalanche long take, and the stressful, thought-provoking bus ride that closes the film. The scene at the bar with the song Reload playing in the background might be my favorite though. It tells a lot by doing very little. Lots to debate in this one. Authentic performances, restrained direction, and gorgeous cinematography round things out. Any film that can make me question myself deserves all the praise I can muster. Superb job, Ruben Östlund!

THE LONELIEST PLANET chilled and served family style.

mordantly mirthful riff on the fragility of gender roles that soars to the top of the list of films you should never watch with your partner. so good. still mulling over the last scene, though... which is some heart-in-your-throat cinema, but feels redundant in the wake of the penultimate scene? would be interested to discuss in vague terms.

Force Majeure is really hard to get under the skin of. At first I interpretated this film as a satire of the man and his masculinity, but what I personally concluded this film is about is the human's flaws. 

Ruben Östlund makes this film grimly entertaining with lingering shots, that feels so mysterious that you want to discover every detail in the film. And Force Majeure is not a film that gives much away, plot-wise. The cinematography is one of the things that really tells something about the film. The film is entertainingly awkward and dysfunctional because of the camerawork. In order to pull such a stunt where you only reveal clues about your characters with body language, you need actors who can show the characters' real emotions and feelings with millimeter precision. Johannes Kuhnke and Lisa Loven Kongsli does that job.

When this was listed under 'comedy' on filmstruck this isn't what I expected...

On paper this shouldn't work, and yet here we are. I really appreciate Östlund's careful style of filmmaking. Nothing feels out of place, but everything is still just a little bit off. I liked The Square more, I think, but this was enjoyable.

Catching up with some of the foreign film awards favorites I missed. Strong film from Ostlund. Stylistically, Ostlund departs from the mainstream classical style by enlisting mostly long-scale shots and tableau staging. I don't think there's a shot-reverse-shot or other types of analytical editing in the entire film. The film explores how what seems like a minor incident can cause a major psychic struggle within a family and here Ostlund directs the performances immaculately.

"Do you smoke, Daddy?"
"Yes, I do."

I'm way to late in checking this out.

¿Qué significa ser hombre?

What a fun date movie!

he cries. she stared, embarrassed. the housekeeper lit a cig.

Fantastic. Show don't tell, constantly. I loved the pacing, the acting, the dialogue. The cinematography was also beautiful and award worthy. The movie also utilizes diabetic sound and background noise or lack of it to set the tone and emotion of a scene. Some of the diabetic sound creates a musical score almost at certain moments. Great film.