Downhill (2020)

★★

Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other.

Classification: 15

So you want to remake Force Majeure?

Now initially I wasn't familiar with Ruben Östlund's 2014 film about a marriage in collapse after a husband runs to save himself leaving his wife and children behind in the wake of an avalanche. I had first heard about it earlier in the year when Downhill was beginning its rounds at Sundance Film Festival, oh a comedy starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus about marriage troubles while skiing, could be interesting. I brought up the film to a friend who looked me dead in the eye, with an irritated look and tells me "It's a remake of Force Majeure" and that sentiment carried enough acidity I realised exactly what the problem was. Every year delivers a slew of foreign language films which tantalise cinephiles and audiences across the globe (we're still reeling from the domination of South Korea's Parasite) and after either a turn on the awards circuit and glowing reviews, these films are announced that they will be "remade" for the English speaking audience. Essentially dumb it down for the people who are too lazy to read subtitles, now that might seem harsh but it's true. Unfortunately, it is the case for Downhill as all the nuance, emotion and artistry that defined Östlund's powerful drama has been stripped in lieu of cheap comedy and uninspired imitation.

I watched Force Majeure the night before seeing Downhill, but even without the original film fresh in my mind the issues that lumber directors Jim Rash and Nate Faxon, the Academy Award-winning screenwriters co-wrote the screenplay with Jesse Armstrong are still prevalent to the uninformed. Downhill is an empty film with unresolved plot threads, tired comedy customs as both Ferrell and Dreyfus stay in their wheelhouse despite attempts to add more drama to the film, along with a lack of critical depth to the severity of the subject matter. The script had a minor advantage in exploring and possibly deconstructing the typical American family dynamic, I liked how it seems the arrogant American tourist behaviour seemed to be clashing with the locals, but it never leads anywhere substantial. Rather than looking at their internal problems, they want to place blame on other factors such as Resort safety led by the gloriously bearded Kristofer Hivju but its just another story thread forgotten. Ferrell's character plays into the offputting stereotype of the family man who doesn't care for his family made popular by various American sitcoms, "Oh I have a loving wife and children, a steady paying job, and a house! but my life sucks because I can't have a beer and put my feet up, ungrateful bastard" and that's the angle it feels it's being played from. You never feel the guilt and the anguish of the character's selfish mistake eating away at Ferrell's performance, just straight arrogant denial as Downhill wants to have that powerful introspection alongside classic Ferrell comedy schtick but ends up cancelling both out leaving nothing for the audience to become invested in.

Dreyfus is the only positive to the film, and her character deserves so much better than what she gets as while Rash and Faxton's direction just feels derivative of Östlund's vision made more ordinary, Dreyfus effectively conveys the pain and frustration of what has happened to her. Her big dramatic speech both highlighting the strength behind the initial story but also revealing to hollow nature of the rest of the film as Downhill's additions do little to explore this pain but rather lean into hackneyed side plots. Such as Mirando Otto's unbearable hokey accented European lusty hotel clerk who just over exaggeratedly talks about sex and affairs, trying to make Downhill feel like a boner comedy at times. Feeding into that American obsession of infidelity for comedy as both Ferrell and Dreyfus's characters rather than confront what's wrong with them, just submit to impulses. The marriage between the two characters felt inauthentic before the incident and so it's difficult to understand why the audience should sympathise with any attempt to save it.

There may be no better example of the downgrade of Downhill than Zach Woods playing Kristofer Hivju's character in this remake. Hivju does have a scene in the film though the cynical part of my mind tells me his appearance is due to his success in Game of Thrones than any tip of the hat towards his role in Force Majeure. The power and ramifications of the avalanche just don't loom over the supporting characters as when Ferrell and Dreyfus recount their interpretations of events to their friends its more about how awkward and spiteful the scenario is than forcing characters to reflect on their own actions. Downhill isn't a straight copy though, the altered and added stuff could have worked if there was a commitment to any of the ideas with a lot of the third act climaxes feeling rushed, unearned or brushed away. My favourite additions are a scene where Ferrell and Dreyfus are arguing about logistics of a helicopter ride, capturing that chaotic family vacation energy of pure misery and how Downhill incorporates the children's reactions more into the story and how there are attempts to weaponise their trauma to make a point. However too much just feels underdeveloped as for some reason Rash and Faxton don't play to their strengths as filmmakers as both The Descendants and The Way Way Back handles similar material with far greater thematic power. Visually Downhill is also very bland especially when compared to its origins, while the locations are dazzling with the bright sunshine and luscious mountains of snow, that aura of wonder has been traded away. Conventional shots and a lot of crucial moments feel that Rash and Faxton are just cribbing Östlund's notes but at a surface level, yes the screen goes white when the avalanche snow hits the balcony but it lacks the urgency, you feel removed from it all.

Not dramatic or deep enough to satisfy the emotional journeys of the characters or the breakdown of their marriage nor funny enough to be considered a typical comedy, Downhill is just trapped between two tones too afraid to commit to either one. Remakes do not immediately mean disaster but it's clear throughout the whole runtime that the only motivation behind the film was just to remake Force Majeure, Rash and Faxton have nothing unique to add or explore with their own voices. It's a shallow American copy that would rather deploy pandering comedy about sex, marriage and male ignorance than anything substantial about relationships, guilt and revelation.

When its all over and the snow has settled the only real value Downhill has is that it will make more people curious to just watch Force Majeure, having the whole process of remaking it redundant.

Just read subtitles, it's not that hard.

Director: #JimRash and #NateFaxon

Screenwriter: #JesseArmstrong, #JimRash and #NateFaxon

Cast: #JuliaLouisDreyfus, #WillFerrell, #MirandaOtto, #ZoëChao, #ZachWoods, #KristoferHivju