Swedish writer-director Ruben Östlund turns art world satire into performance-art cinema. The Square is a thrillingly weird study of an art gallery director whose life goes into meltdown after his mobile phone is stolen.
Christian (Claes Bang) 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.
The Square has won the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes film festival.
