Read User Reviews and Submit your own for The Square (2017)

8

frankrog29Mar 12, 2018

The Square was one of the best films of 2017. It's highly successful as a work of art, in that it challenges the viewer's ideas of himself/herself and his/her relationship to society. It's a dark comedy; the situations in which the mainThe Square was one of the best films of 2017. It's highly successful as a work of art, in that it challenges the viewer's ideas of himself/herself and his/her relationship to society. It's a dark comedy; the situations in which the main character finds himself are absurd yet humorous. I'm impressed with the amount of thematic ground that the film covers, including the downsides of capitalism, the relationship between high-income and low-income people, civilized man vs. animalistic man, order vs. chaos, altruism vs. individualism, and censorship vs. free speech. Though the film is set in an urban environment, the cinematography is quite beautiful. The screenplay is ingenious. Finally, the acting is quite good, with the actors subtly and humorously playing up the absurd situations.… Expand

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10

BurnerBoyJan 7, 2018

It manages to at once skewer the art world while simultaneously wholly embracing it. I saw this Palme d'Or winner in a small art house theater, and at times the entire crowd was raucously laughing...at other times (the unforgettable ape/ manIt manages to at once skewer the art world while simultaneously wholly embracing it. I saw this Palme d'Or winner in a small art house theater, and at times the entire crowd was raucously laughing...at other times (the unforgettable ape/ man performance piece) frozen in rapt heart pounding attention. Hilarious, harsh, unflinching...must see movie of 2017.… Expand

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7

KaustavFeb 5, 2018

The Square is a difficult film, almost a bit too much of fluff and with no closure or even punchline to take away. It is quirky, a lot of it is placed in a way that induces mirthless laughter but does not make you think much about it isThe Square is a difficult film, almost a bit too much of fluff and with no closure or even punchline to take away. It is quirky, a lot of it is placed in a way that induces mirthless laughter but does not make you think much about it is trying to tell. It is movie whose sum of pieces (a few interesting ones - namely, the Museum Speech, the hookup situation(s) and human ape fiasco among others) is so much better than its whole; so much so that a person would be much better off watching those clips in a skit/sketch sort video on YT than ever caring about the movie itself.
Here are the only three reasons you should watch this movie:
1) Danish (possibly) may well be the most annoying language humanly spoken ever and this movie goes out of its way to let you experience that.
2) There are very real and awkward interactions and conversations between some of the cast that is unbelievably fun.
3) It got a Academy Award nomination and you are far too curious and obsessive to let the opportunity go of knowing what did Terry Notary, Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West do to deserve it. Well, go and watch it then. Perhaps you'll know.… Expand

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6

AndrewBurgeApr 2, 2018

The world of Ruben Östlund's The Square is a lawless one. No, I don't mean Mad Max type lawless, not even close. It is rather tame, yet there seems to literally be no presence of order and law enforcement in it. The scene in which Christian,The world of Ruben Östlund's The Square is a lawless one. No, I don't mean Mad Max type lawless, not even close. It is rather tame, yet there seems to literally be no presence of order and law enforcement in it. The scene in which Christian, the curator of the X-Art Museum of Modern Arts, has his goods stolen from him is treated with laughter and amazement at the skills of the perpetrators, rather than anger and a swoop to the police. In fact, the Police is not even mentioned. Rather, he prefers to take matters into his own hands distributing threatening letters to an apartment block where he believes the thief lives. And... it works. It is clear that Ruben Östlund is aware of the illogical actions and the near surreal world he creates.

Yet despite the visual expression of social isolation, 'The Square's style of enclosing itself from the real world into one in which it loosely parodies the life of the modern man creates confusion through its subtle approach. It does not have true surreal moments, yet it expects us to treat it metaphorically. Sure, it succeeds in representing the way the modern and cultured man is so self-controller that it can easily be taken as a fool, but there is an unnatural unease to every action.

There is, of course, one brilliant scene of performance art from Terry Notary's Oleg Rogozin, who, while performing as an ape during a luxurious dinner, loses his mind, for some ubiquitous reason, and so the guests themselves have to physically put him to the ground. This latter part of the scene is a bit unnecessary and rather bizarre.

Still, 'The Square' has monumental ambitions and through is intentional or unintentional absurdity takes its claim into revolutionizing the way movies are thought, even though, it kinda fails...… Expand

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7

Brent_MarchantNov 19, 2017

A film with a lot to say that, regrettably, doesn't always say it as well as it could. However, when it successfully achieves its moments of lucidity, the director absolutely knocks it out of the park with inventive, riveting humor andA film with a lot to say that, regrettably, doesn't always say it as well as it could. However, when it successfully achieves its moments of lucidity, the director absolutely knocks it out of the park with inventive, riveting humor and incisive social insights. Perhaps the biggest issue here is the editing, with a number of segments that go on entirely too long, but, if you're able to sift through the flotsam to find the kernels of wisdom, you'll be richly rewarded with an unusual and memorable movie experience.… Expand

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9

RroyJan 5, 2018

This movie’s worth seeing for many reasons, but I’d say the performance of a « Russian » artist during a large benefit dinner is what makes it unforgettable.

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6

markmoskMar 6, 2018

I love the look of his movies so they'll always be worth seeing for me. There's a certain irony in that visual beauty being juxtaposed with the terrible aesthetics of the Danish language (about the only place where the Danes do ugly). ForceI love the look of his movies so they'll always be worth seeing for me. There's a certain irony in that visual beauty being juxtaposed with the terrible aesthetics of the Danish language (about the only place where the Danes do ugly). Force Majeure was a favorite of mine that year. And I have no problem with the (epidemic of) foreshortened endings of art films. I usually watch for the how it's told, not what's told. Chopped endings can work very well. I don't require a hollywood ending. In this case, too many interesting plot/sub-plot points left out to appreciate the ending. I was with this film the whole way up to the end but it felt --at 2.5 hrs long (which went by quickly btw)-- that the director just didn't see a way to properly end it...which is unfortunate. It has an ending that can be argued and defended and while I can't propose anything, it just wasn't right.… Expand

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0

BroyaxMay 19, 2020

Avertissement... non, avertissements (au pluriel) : premièrement, c'est un film suédois (il faut donc se montrer circonspect, avaler quelques litres de café -pour ne pas s'endormir au bout de 10 mn- prendre plusieurs Prozac -pour ne pasAvertissement... non, avertissements (au pluriel) : premièrement, c'est un film suédois (il faut donc se montrer circonspect, avaler quelques litres de café -pour ne pas s'endormir au bout de 10 mn- prendre plusieurs Prozac -pour ne pas s'énerver au bout de 15 mn (parenthèse dans la parenthèse : si on a tenu jusque là, bien entendu).

Secondement -et là on retient sa respiration, on fait du yoga pour contrôler ses réactions en toute circonstance- secondement donc... c'est une putain de saloperie de chiasse de merdasse du festival de l'asile de Cannes et de tous ses peigne-culs intello-bobos annuels de mes deux ! palme d'or de mon cul, tiens que je te la chie et te l'emballe dans un papier-cadeau... oui, c'est pour offrir !

Et donc troisièmement, on va pas épiloguer outre-mesure sur de la branlette avariée de Cannes, car c'est comme l'art très con-temporain, ça ne sert à rien ! on fera juste remarquer que ce vide rempli de remplissage psychoteur à peigne-culs dure seulement... deux plombes et demi ! et là tout est dit. On tire la chasse.… Expand

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7

JLuis_001Jan 28, 2018

Was this supposed to be a metaphor of some sort?
I'm utterly shocked because it won the Palm D'or

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9

TVJerryJun 30, 2020

If you appreciate the contemporary art world, you'll probably find this film an interesting look into that culture. Claes Bang plays the curator at a big Stockholm museum who's preparing for a new exhibit, but the story delves into otherIf you appreciate the contemporary art world, you'll probably find this film an interesting look into that culture. Claes Bang plays the curator at a big Stockholm museum who's preparing for a new exhibit, but the story delves into other aspects of his life. To say much more would be to spoil one of this film's best aspects…surprise! There are numerous times when something unexpected happens, taking the narrative in a new direction (not really plot twists but interesting detours). The people are interesting and the situations are sometimes fascinating. Writer/director Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure) continues to create work that crosses between drama and satire, while crafting personal stories that present varied and engaging characters. (In Swedish with subtitles)… Expand