Month: February 2019

Force Majeure: avalanches, deconstruction, and clean slates

Luke BartolomeoLeave a comment

At the outset, Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure enraptures the viewer in the idyllic. A vacation in the French Alps taken by the perfect family: they weave and bob skiing down a hill in elegant athleticism; later, they take naps together in bed, and enjoy the pristine containment of harmony in their hotel room. Perhaps the… Continue reading Force Majeure: avalanches, deconstruction, and clean slates

Leave No Trace: realist portrait, felt trauma, and alternatives

Luke BartolomeoLeave a comment

From the start of Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, there is a dooming sense that what we see won’t last. Father and daughter surviving in their makeshift camp, working hard to gather and cook food and make fires. She’s learning and he’s teaching. They keep their tools in the ground. At night, they ward off… Continue reading Leave No Trace: realist portrait, felt trauma, and alternatives