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.
I often hesitate when I see the name Will Ferrell in the cast list of movies. Most of my biases come from my previous experiences at some of his films, which failed to activate my senses of enjoyment or pleasure. However, the unusual avalanche premise of this self-proclaimed comedy segued into an unexpectedly raw performance by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, delivering a film experience that left me reflecting on how seemingly small actions can inflict pain onto others.
“Downhill” casts Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Pete and Billie Stanton, respectively, as a married couple out on a ski trip with their two sons in the Austrian Alps. Instead of sharing a heartwarming time with family, an avalanche rips off the rose-colored image of their marriage into a new reality of broken trust and shattered expectations. The randomness of the event does not detract from its significance as the couple is forced to come to terms with their imbalanced emotions of shock and denial, creating deep fissures in the relationship.
Despite the animosity between Pete and Billie, Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus share a chemistry that engages the audience into a ping pong match, bouncing banter and energy back and forth without losing the momentum that builds a climax of intense vulnerability in a particular scene. It became crucial to see Will Ferrell in the role of Pete as any other actor would have struggled to arouse the feelings of pity and sympathy for Pete’s childishness.
Meanwhile, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a particular talent in expressing herself without having to use many words. Watching her quiver with fear and anxiety during the aftermath of the avalanche left me holding my breath at her intensity and her cries of frustrated sadness left me simpering with tears as I imagined the disappointment behind her character’s emotions.
The raw and honest portrait of Billie is accentuated by the cast and crew actually filming in the Austrian Alps while using snow cannons to simulate the avalanche. The circumstances of the filming contribute to Dreyfus’ acting in a subtle manner, adding a dosage of real anxiety. Being away from home and in the unknown emphasizes Billie’s urgency and her need to be close to family, clinging to her two sons played by Julian Grey and Ammon Ford as she struggles to accept Pete’s lack of dependability.
The journey of Pete and Billie isn’t complete without the characters of Zach and Rosie, a fun-loving couple contrasting with the Stanton’s with their youthfulness and premature stages of love. During Pete and Billie’s desire to be separate from one another, they instead share moments with Zach and Rosie, both offering an alternative perspective to the conflict at hand.
A particular moment of the film that stood out to me was the interaction between Rosie and Billie. Due to Rosie’s position as an objective point of view, her words of comfort validating Billia’s anger and frustration seem to give Billie a moment of strength and contemplation. Was the situation as black and white as it seemed? Maybe it is, at this moment, that Billie begins to consider how she can bring healing back to the fissures in her family. It is an important reminder that when times get tough in a relationship, continue to surround yourself with others who offer words of objective advice and genuine words of support in order to find strength for reconciliation.
Any member of the audience that has experienced a relationship may be able to find themselves relating to the different relationships in the film, whether it be a long-standing with deep conflict, a short and just starting honeymoon phase, or a sexual and lackadaisical one. Either way, “Downhill” is a movie with a great reminder to not take loved ones for granted but to respect the different perspectives that may color their lens. Take this Valentine’s Day to reach out to loved ones, hold them close, and stay resilient – even at the face of an avalanche.
In Theaters Friday, February 14th
