Force Majeure
– Force Majeure (Uncontrollable Circumstances) begins with a drug deal involving tourists Phillipe (Pa..
Force Majeure (Uncontrollable Circumstances) begins with a drug deal involving tourists Phillipe (Patrick Bruel) and Daniel (Francois Cluzet), and a Dutch stranger. Two years pass: the Dutchman has been arrested in an unspecified Asian country, where the penalty for drug trafficking is death. Phillipe and Daniel agree to admit that the hashish partly belongs to them, which will reduce the Dutchman's sentence, but also subject the twosome to a prison sentence themselves. Malcolm Forrest (Alan Bates), a representative of Amnesty International, does what he can to aid all three of the unfortunate young men. Force Majeure was co-written by Michele De Broca, wife of director Philippe De Broca.
05 Apr 1989
French
Pierre Jolivet
Pierre Jolivet, Olivier Schatzky
Patrick Bruel, François Cluzet, Kristin Scott Thomas, Alan Bates
Philippe and Daniel go on vacation to South-East Asia, where they meet Hans, a resident of the area who acts as their patron and guide. Before they leave to return to Paris, the two present Hans with a gift of their left-over native hashish. A year and a half later, an Amnesty International lawyer shows up and informs them that Hans was arrested and imprisoned for drug possession shortly after their departure and is now condemned to death. Philippe and Daniel have an opportunity to help Hans by confessing their deed to the authorities, sharing blame for the crime and accepting prison terms. Additional pressure is applied by Hans' former girlfriend, the argument being that the life at stake is Hans'. Phillipe and Daniel maintain that their lives are at stake as well.
3 nominations.