The Square

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The Square

R

2017

2h 22m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

216 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Disaster strikes when a curator hires a public relations team to build some buzz for his renowned Swedish museum.

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Critics Consensus

The Square finds writer-director Ruben Östlund as ambitious as ever -- and delivering an unforgettably unusual work whose challenging themes pay thought-provoking dividends.

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Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses)) (Substack)

06/10/2022

The Square foregrounds a dilemma at the core of artistic practice: as moving and influential as it can be, art too often exists in a realm separated from “real life,” cordoned off as safely “consumable” entertainment. —Guest post by Michael Joshua Rowin

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Udita Jhunjhunwala

Firstpost

03/14/2019

3.5/5

The Square is actually the sum of its parts, rather than a seamless whole. Viewers are probably going to pick differing scenes as their favourites.

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Namrata Joshi

The Hindu

07/12/2018

A gentle critique, peopled with eccentric but likeable characters, those who have the warmth and the humanity to redeem themselves.

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Paul Kanieski

KSQD Community Radio

07/24/2023

Östlund has a psychologist’s eye for human nature and the understated comedic touch of Jacques Tati. The end result is akin to virtual slapstick, the emotional equivalent of slipping on a banana peel.

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

11/10/2022

The film’s execution only occasionally reaches its ideological grasp, but Östlund’s such a talented filmmaker that he can cover up the lack of follow-through in his script. That’s tough to do!

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/17/2022

4/4

Sharpened by a series of corrosive comic moments and provocations, The Square lashes out with a refined blow against both indifference and empty gestures of faux-humanitarianism.

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Craig W.

@MCWaxman Feb 7

And unnecessarily long movie about indiscriminately nothing for some art curator of weird art. Pointless.

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Joel G.

@TheJoelest Nov 1

I know this a character study, but I don’t care enough about these characters to stay engaged. Sorry

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Thomas L

@PoodleBoy Oct 3

This is a vanity piece that reminds me of modern art or runway fashion shows whose intent is to puzzle or annoy, instead of informing or entertaining. It feels incomplete and ambiguous.

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Dave S

@RT68722908 12/27/2024

Director Ruben Ostlund again skewers society’s inequities with dark satire in The Square, the story of a curator in a Stockholm art museum whose perception of society is shaken after being robbed in a city square. There are some great set pieces throughout as Christian (Claes Bang), beleaguered by the chain of events triggered by the robbery, deals with a troubling relationship with a journalist (Elisabeth Moss), a disastrous ad campaign for an upcoming exhibit, and a woefully misguided attempt to retrieve his stolen property. The Square effectively deals with Ostlund’s various themes through a smart script, subdued performances (excluding the bizarre banquet scene with Oleg the gorilla man), and typically stylish visuals from Ostlund. It’s clearly not for all tastes, but anyone who appreciates the esteemed Swedish director’s other films will undoubtedly love it.

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Pat B

@RT67592582 12/22/2024

This film is the proof of why why critics aren't trusted anymore. My friend, who loves acclaimed arthouse films, took me to this, and at about the 2-hour mark I caught her looking at her watch. We were all so bored. It lasts way too long, and it's just tedious. The only piece that caught my attention was this bizarre sequence in which a man acts like a gorilla for some artistic performance, but then horribly proceeds to assault a spectator. The kind of vain nonsense that is just desperate to appeal to critics, at the expense of the actual audience.

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Marit Risto F

@RT66247982 10/24/2024

Sad. Nevrotic. Destructive

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Ruben Östlund

Director

Claes Bang

Christian

Elisabeth Moss

Anne

Dominic West

Julian

Terry Notary

Oleg

Linda Anborg

Linda, Red Carpet

The Square: Movie Clip - Monkey Performance

2:31

The Square: Movie Clip - Condom

2:35

The Square: Trailer 1

2:18

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Synopsis

Disaster strikes when a curator hires a public relations team to build some buzz for his renowned Swedish museum.

Director: Ruben Östlund
Producer: Erik Hemmendorff, Philippe Bober
Screenwriter: Ruben Östlund
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: ZDF Arte, Coproduction Office, Plattform Produktion AB, Essential Films, Arte France Cinema, Parisienne , Film i Väst, Sveriges Television, Imperative Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Brief Violence|Some Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 30, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 2h 22m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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