The Square (2017)

A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.

Director:

Ruben Östlund

Writer:

Ruben Östlund

Stars:

Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 33 wins & 41 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claes Bang	...	Christian
Elisabeth Moss	...	Anne
Dominic West	...	Julian
Terry Notary	...	Oleg
Christopher Læssø	...	Michael
Lise Stephenson Engström	...	Daughter
Lilianne Mardon	...	Daughter
Marina Schiptjenko	...	Elna
Annica Liljeblad	...	Sonja
Elijandro Edouard	...	Boy with Letter
Daniel Hallberg	...	Dark-Haired Advertising Agent
Martin Sööder	...	Blond Advertising Agent
John Nordling	...	Account Manager
Maja Gödicke	...	Marketing First Assistant
Nicki Dar	...	Nicki

Storyline

Christian is the respected curator of a contemporary art museum, a divorced but devoted father of two who drives an electric car and supports good causes. His next show is "The Square", an installation which invites passersby to altruism, reminding them of their role as responsible fellow human beings. But sometimes, it is difficult to live up to your own ideals: Christian's foolish response to the theft of his phone drags him into shameful situations. Meanwhile, the museum's PR agency has created an unexpected campaign for "The Square". The response is overblown and sends Christian, as well as the museum, into an existential crisis.

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Plot Keywords:

modern art | condom | performance art | social satire | stockholm sweden | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some strong sexual content, and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [UK] Official site

Country:

Sweden Germany France Denmark USA

Language:

Swedish English Danish

Release Date:

25 August 2017 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Square

Filming Locations:

Gothenburg, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,233, 29 October 2017

Gross USA:

$1,502,347

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,493,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

Plattform Produktion, Arte France Cinéma, Coproduction Office

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The preliminary study of "The Square" was "Rutan" (The Square), an exhibition at Vandalorum in Värnamo, Sweden, in spring 2015, where director Ruben Östlund and film producer Kalle Boman wanted to examine the trust they felt towards each other. Pictures from the exhibition are included in the film.

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Goofs

In the closing titles of "The Girl With A Kitten" clip, the Hebrew version is wrong: the English noun "square" appears in Hebrew as "an open space in a city" rather than "rectangle with all sides equal").

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Quotes

Christian: The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it we all share equal rights and obligations.

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Connections

Referenced in Sean Bradley's First Reaction: 90th Academy Awards - Nominations (2018)

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Soundtracks

Ave Maria, apres le Prèlude nº1 de Bach
Composed by Charles Gounod
Performed by Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma

User Reviews

That Square Was Too Round

'The Square' is visually beautiful, well acted not so subtle (I mean, all is seen on the surface and it doesn't go deeper) satire on modern art and modern society with its political correctness and freedom of expression. Although the modern art is very easy target for parody and satire, 'The Square' does not fall into banal mockery of subject and touches the matter quite briefly. I mean, there are not too many puns towards the art scene. The film concerns more about other, and more serious subjects that definitely needs the discussion - political correctness, freedom of speech and creativity, how far we must go with tolerance, the hypocrisy about the care for weaker ones. All important themes, but the film played too safe too many times. The humor (or satire) could have been darker and sharper. More edgy! Pacing was little bit uneven and the film seemed to drag its feet for the last 35 minutes.