A film about disasters - both natural and man-made.
Overview
While holidaying in the French Alps, a Swedish family deals with acts of cowardliness as an avalanche breaks out.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.3/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.88/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 87
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Ruben Östlund
Production
Motlys, Coproduction Office, Film i Väst, Plattform Produktion, Parisienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
Cast
Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Metelius, Karin Myrenberg, Brady Corbet, Johannes Moustos, Jorge Lattof, Adrian Heinisch, Michael Breitenberger, Karl Pinçon, Julie Roumegoux, Peter Gaunt, Vera Kolupaeva, Ekaterina Ilina, Martin Chertudi, Natacha Mutomb Dackén
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, darkly funny family drama that turns a single moment of panic into a devastating study of masculinity, shame, and marital trust. It’s tense, precise, and often painfully recognizable, with enough wit and formal control to keep the discomfort compelling rather than merely bleak.
Best for
viewers who like psychologically tense domestic dramas
fans of social satire with a cold, observational edge
people interested in masculinity, marriage, and moral self-examination
audiences who appreciate slow-burn conflict with dark humor
Skip if
you want plot-heavy thrills or disaster-movie spectacle
you dislike cringe-inducing interpersonal conflict
you prefer sympathetic, clearly heroic protagonists
you’re looking for an emotionally comforting family drama
Overview
Ruben Östlund turns an avalanche into a moral stress test, and the result is one of the most incisive family dramas of the 2010s. The film is less interested in the disaster itself than in the aftershocks: the tiny evasions, the public performances, and the private humiliations that follow one split-second act of self-preservation.
Worth noting
What makes it so effective is the tonal balance. It’s brutally funny without softening the pain, and its long, controlled scenes let embarrassment accumulate until it becomes almost unbearable. The ski-resort setting is pristine and absurdly civilized, which only makes the emotional collapse inside the family feel more exposed.
Bottom line
This is a film about the stories people tell themselves to remain decent in their own eyes, and about how quickly those stories can fail under pressure. It’s chilly, exacting, and deeply memorable, especially for viewers who like their dramas to cut with a scalpel rather than a hammer.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Katie (3.5★) · 2788 likes
I (M41) ran away from an avalanche without grabbing my wife (F38) and kids (M7, F9). AITA?
Blain LaMotta (4.5★) · 1975 likes
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… more 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… more
Karsten (4★) · 1660 likes
the dad looked like nakey jakey
Matt Singer (4.5★) · 1261 likes
This is why I don't go skiing. NEVER GO SKIING YOU GUYS.
Mike Ginn (5★) · 1131 likes
girlfriend asked if I would abandon her in an avalanche and I said “no” faster than I’ve ever said anything
2016 · Comedy, Drama · 2h 42m · Curator 8.8/10 (126.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
Shares the blend of awkward comedy and existential discomfort, with a keen eye for modern emotional performance.
Topics
psychological drama, dark comedy, marital conflict, family crisis, social satire, cold realism, mountain setting, moral ambiguity, 2010s cinema, slow-burn tension