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

Did You Know?

Trivia

"These people that in the beginning were sitting in tuxedos and eating their nice, fancy dinner, I wanted them to be uncivilized animals in the end, I think that the most uncivilized thing about our time is the collective rage against individuals that are acting uncivilized. Isn't that the scary thing about us?" said Ruben Östlund about the monkey-man scene.

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Goofs

During the press conference, the time displayed on Christian's LCD watch is clearly visible and jumps from 14:53 to 15:50 when we cut to a participant who asks a very short question.

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Quotes

Christian: If you place an object in a museum does that make this object a piece of art?

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Connections

Featured in Once Upon a Time... The Square (2020) (2020)

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Soundtracks

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Minor, BWV 1068: II. Aria (Arr. For Voice Ensemble)
Performed by The Swingle Singers
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Welcome to the Jungle

A clever, and insightful, but somewhat meandering, social satire that, in hindsight, feels more like a series of vignettes loosely connected by the films protagonist, a well-known museum curator. The satirical sections that focus on the Modern Art world are dead on, although with, perhaps too much restraint. For the most part they are so understated you might find yourself wondering if the filmmakers were intentionally being satiric; except for, obviously, the film's high-point "Welcome to the Jungle" - both its most humorous and chilling sequence - which literally has a punchline at the end. It could easily be argued the film is worth watching for this section alone. Primarily concerned with how individuals interact with society and the world around them, scenes often play out with the camera focused on one character's reaction as opposed to the action, or conversation, occurring off-screen. This can be a disorienting choice, and, at times, confusing, yet undoubtedly all that is intentional. But be warned, the film will make no attempt to tie up all its lose ends: some characters just drop out of sight, storylines are left dangling and the movie just comes to a stop as opposed to having a real climax. You can be left feeling poked and prodded by the film for having watched it, as opposed to rewarded. But, hey, it's Art.

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, Film i Väst, Essential Filmproduktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1