'Force Majeure' review: Powerful and provocative

Chilling, cruel and funny -- in an icy, Swedish way -- "Force Majeure" is a drama about a relationship challenged by an extreme moment.

Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli), Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke) and their two small children are enjoying a nice ski holiday in the French Alps. But writer-director Ruben Östlund gives every ski lift ride an air of menace, and as he breaks the days down with intertitles such as "Ski Day 2," we know something's coming.

The "something" is a planned avalanche that hurtles down the slopes, mesmerizing everybody dining on the chilly outdoor patio. The wall of snow bears down on them, and they freeze. Then it becomes obvious there's been a miscalculation, and the screams and scrambling skiers are covered in a cloud of white.

The crux isIt's how everyone reacts that is the crux . We see Ebba turn a little cold to Tomas, who is either confused or sheepish. Tensions boil over when she calls him out in front of one and all everyone for running for safety while she gathered up their kids to flee.

"Force majeure" is a French phrase from the world of insurance and investment meaning "greater force," as in no one is responsible when a natural catastrophe is involved in a loss. Is that a good enough excuse for Tomas, that all bets are off and it's every man for himself when reflexes are involved? Ebba doesn't think so, and even Tomas seems unconvinced as he descends into guilt, grief and depression over failing a basic manhood test.

Like witnesses to an avalanche, we are transfixed by the beauty, power and fury of nature. Like Tomas and Ebba, we wonder how we could react, not just to the fight-or-flight moment, but also to a loved one's reactions.

That lets "Force Majeure" become one of the cinema's more revealing portraits of manhood and marriage and the slippery slope a simple reflexive act can send them down.