The Square (2017)

The Square has been generating a great deal of talk since it's debut and win at Cannes. But much of the buzz is less about the film, and it's meandering yet fascinating plot, or the questions it raises. Much of it is about a somewhat shocking scene, a scene so identified with the film that it is the scene on the poster, a scene peripherally tied to the point of the movie, but far from the main story.

In the infamous scene, shot in a fairly infamous manner, black tie adorned guests in a luxurious ballroom are attacked by an "ape man" (Terry Notary, famous for playing apes in motion capture in films like War for the Planet of the Apes and Kong Skull Island) until the guests finally stop putting up with his attack on a "pretty girl" and attack him back. Supposedly the actors were not aware of what the scene would entail and much of their reactions are real. There is a great deal problematic with this and much of that is exactly what The Square is critiquing. But it is also symbolic of how circular that whole endeavor then becomes.

The Square is a critique of the world of "art," the hypocrisy, the disconnection with real lived experience, the lack of commitment to claimed values. But in so many ways, The Square falls into exactly what it is critiquing. It is scenes like this which make it complicit in that world. It is a rabbit hole which is difficult to deconstruct. I worry it's a bit of a cop out to say "that's the point" or some other such thing. I'm not sure you make your point by becoming the thing you are taking down.

However there is more to The Square than its infamous scenes. Claes Bang's arc is skillfully told and rather enlightening. As his world gets shaken, so does ours. His handsome, good intentioned, horribly flawed curator is perfectly realized. The Square doesn't give him an easy story. It is not straightforward and it's not clear in how we are to react. We don't vilify him or completely sympathize. This aspect of The Square is fascinating.

But the film sometimes loses itself in some strange tangents which feel hard to justify. There is a chimpanzee who lives with Elizabeth's Moss' character for no reason which doesn't feel heavy handed. Their argument over his used condom also feels forced and unreal. These moments which take us out of the film make us question whether the "point" of the film is more important then the story. Cause they don't always feel cohesive.

Yet The Square remains singularly memorable. Its impact is undeniable. And there is much to come back to it for.

The Square
Starring Claes Bang, Elizabeth Moss, Terry Notary, Christopher Læssø, Dominic West
Writer/Director: Ruben Östlund