Ruben Östlund (2017)
Elisabeth Moss, Claes Bang, Dominic West Rated 15 Run time 152 minsNominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 90th Academy Awards
Force Majeure director Ruben Östlund returns with a satire on art and culture. Christian (Bang) is the respected curator of an art museum in Stockholm gearing up to launch ‘The Square’, a daring installation examining altruism and empathy. Christian’s own views on social responsibility are tested when he is the victim of a scam, forcing him to question the world around him and his place in it. Meanwhile a shocking PR stunt by the museum meets public outcry sending Christian and the museum into crisis. With inventive set pieces and deadpan wit, The Square is a hilarious black comedy about idealism and cynicism in the modern world.
84% – Rotten Tomatoes
7.3/10 – IMDB
“The film is full of delicious riffs, salacious outbursts (a polite museum audience is ever so respectful toward a man with Tourette syndrome), unexplained intruders.”
“An examination of social context, elitism, cultural bubbles and more, The Square is – to put it precisely – absolutely bonkers. But purposefully bonkers.”
Ruben Östlund on his Cannes-winner The Square and the dark side of the joke – Financial Times
Film of the week: The Square artfully exposes hidden injustice – BFI