Film "Square". Reviews on the grandiose art experiment of Ruben Ostlund

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

At the 70th festival in Cannes, the Palme d'Or went to, according to the jury, the most innovative, paradoxical and frankly impudent project. The film "The Square" (2017) is positioned by reviews as a tough satirical tape about the world of contemporary art and life in Sweden.

The film was directed by 44-year-old Swede Ruben Östlund. Tape rating - IMDb: 7.20. By the way, as the reviews for the film "The Square" explain, its sub title is the name of a real-life installation by Ruben Estland himself.

Original director style

Ruben Ostlund is one of the few world-class directors opened by the MIFF. The premiere show of his debut work "Guitar-Mongoloid" took place in Moscow in 2004. The experimental picture immediately attracted the attention of the world community with its quirkiness. Östlund's original directorial style finally developed for The Game (2011). This inventive film sparked heated debate in liberal Swedish society, and was even labeled racist by some critics.

In the next project "Force Majeure" (2014)visionary significantly expanded horizons. The story of how a respectable family man, during an avalanche, rushed to save his iPhone, and not his family, was regarded by critics as a caustic commentary on modern society values. The film "Square" reviews of reviewers called the most ambitious project in the director's filmography. Sometimes it is equated with an encyclopedia of European (specifically Swedish) life.

Multiple storylines

The plot of the film "Square" reviews of movie experts equate to a study of trends in the development of progressive European society through the prism of contemporary art. The narrative is an interweaving of several storylines.

Protagonist Christian is the curator of the "Square" exhibition at Stockholm's X-Royal Museum of Contemporary Art. Throughout the duration of the tape, he faces many dilemmas in his professional and personal life. He is divorced, but takes care of the well-being and upbringing of his daughters, strives to work for the benefit of society, is always courteous and correct with others, drives an electric car.

His impeccability sometimes annoys colleagues. But one day, a man finds himself unsettled after his smartphone, wallet and grandfather's cufflinks are stolen from him on the street. A previously respectable citizen suddenly betrays his impeccability, traces the house of the alleged criminal and arranges lynching, filling the mailboxes of the house with threatening letters. By the way, he finds cufflinks at home, but already a perfect eccentric actwill soon lead to unpredictable consequences.

Performance Series

By and large, the Östlund project can be considered almost a documentary, similar to a DVR recording, accompanied by witty and caustic comments on the topic of the day. Critics in reviews of the film "The Square" compare the director with M. Haneke in observation, and as a satire with L. Buñuel or M. Ade.

The structure of the picture is a gallery of rhetorical questions, the very wording of which is quite provocative. The curatorial episodes are rightfully considered the most caustic, which prompted some viewers to call the film a satire on the world of contemporary art. This formulation has the right to exist, but it is not accurate. The Östlund project is not a mockery of museum laws, customs, ridiculous expositions and exhibits, it is much more extensive.

Here, it is appropriate to mention a real performance beyond the foul - a shocking moment in which Terry Notari, who previously played in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, portrays an aggressive primate during a dinner party as a Russian artist. This scene parodies many deliberately scandalous advertising campaigns, the consumer attitude of the media towards contemporary art.

Acting Ensemble

In the film "Square" (2017), the actors are chosen amazingly. The main role was played by the Danish theater, film and television actor Claes Kasper Bang (“Child of the Jungle”, “The Bridge”). His dramatic talent was awardedEuropean Film Academy.

In partnership with Klas worked Golden Globe award winner Elisabeth Moss, who brilliantly revealed the image of Ann. The American actress is known for the projects "Grey's Anatomy", "The Handmaid's Tale" and the film "Girl, Interrupted".

Not the last role in the realization of the director's idea was played by Dominic West, who got the role of Gidjoni. The British actor is best known to the public as Detective Jim McNulty on The Wire. Also, the artist's track record includes the paintings "Rock Star", "300 Spartans", "Hannibal Rising".

Terry Notari was inimitable in the image of Oleg Rogozin. The American actor, stunt performer and stunt double often portrays fantastical creatures or animals for the film and television industry. He brilliantly demonstrated his skills in Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin, Avengers: Infinity War, the Hobbit film series and Planet of the Apes.

Great art experiment

In addition to the excellent cast, the merits of Ostlund's work include sharp topical and funny satirical scenes, a lot of cameraman Frederic Wenzel's finds, sudden plot twists and he althy flirting with absurdism. In general, the picture is an excellent art-house film project that has collected many awards. The film "The Square" (2017), in addition to the "Palme d'Or", was awarded the European Film Academy Award and other reputable film festivals.