The Square (Ruben Östlund, 2017): Sweden | Germany | France | Denmark

Reviewed by Michael Geraghty. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, 2018.

Director Ruben Östlund brings us into the crumpling world of a man who has everything neat and tidy in his wonderful professional life. By never letting the story dip, viewers are kept on the edge of their seat wondering what could possibly happen next to Christan (played by Claes Bang). At times uncomfortable and cringeworthy in the best of ways, the film brilliantly displays a world collapsing out of control. A satire that is cut in stone, the bizarre comes out to play in this wonderful film

Christian is a very professional, clean cut director of a contemporary art museum that is surrounded by opulent patrons and the wealthiest of donors. As the museum prepares for a new exhibit called “The Sqaure”, Christian faces turmoil when he is robbed by pickpockets posing to be in distress. Christian and his coworker manage to track the thieves using the GPS locator in his phone….the problem is that its signal is too broad so they only have a general address-a large building in a bad neighborhood. The plan is to send every resident a threatening letter demanding the return of the stolen goods. This plan turns into Christian’s nightmare as the world around him crumples, falls, twists, and slams into brick walls in all its glory.

The satire is hard to catch but envelopes every scene. Tied throughout are the repetitive cries for help by beggars or those in need with no person turning to help. This is set in contrast to Christian needing help constantly and expecting it from everyone surrounding him. The imposition of the exhibit “The Square” likewise becomes a hilarious mockery of how the rich and opulent actually treat those around them yet persists in “acting” like they actually care.

Beautifully shot, this film ticks all the boxes but requires focus and attention to get the best from it.


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