While holidaying in the French Alps, a Swedish family deals with acts of cowardliness as an avalanche breaks out.
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CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
Tomas" (Johannes Kuhnke), wife "Ebba" (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and the kids "Vera" (Clara Wettergren) and "Harry" (Vincent Wettergren) travel to the French Alps for a skiing holiday. The first thing you might notice from the initial photography is just how precariously positioned their resort is, and just how seriously the local authorities take the risk of avalanches. It is one of those snowy phenomena that causes a stir amongst this ostensibly loving family. It, itself, isn't especially perilous but with the snow heading towards them "Tomas" does something that his wife really struggles to come to terms with. As they attempt to continue with their holiday, the tension between them becomes unbearable for each, for their children and for their friends "Mats" (Kristofer Hivyu) and "Charlotte" (Karin Myrenberg Faber) who is, herself, having quite a bit of off-piste fun to the chagrin of "Ebba". It's quite an intriguing premiss, this one, as it asserts then questions some stereotyping about the roles of the characters. It challenges the more traditional "hunter/gatherer" responsibility "Tomas" is supposed to have whilst also demonstrating what I found to be a degree of cruelty from "Ebba" that seemed way more destructive than she probably intended and the ultimate aim of which wasn't remotely productive. The denouement will probably divide opinion, and to some extent it offers a degree of vindication but essentially it asks us to rationalise the concept of panic (using hindsight) - and that's the thought it provoked most from me as the couple have to come to terms with something inexplicable and intangible. The acting is fine, as is the writing and there are some beautiful snowscapes that will either appeal to or deter would-be skiers, but the story is definitely not one that's straightforward.
