The Square

Dir: Ruben Östlund

2017

*****

I remember when Pulp Fiction first came out, people were totally confused but enthusiastically overwhelmed by the editing, the interweaving stories and non-linear narrative. I remember liking it but never thinking it was particularly clever, indeed, I really can’t stand films that are singularly focused, they’re boring and predictable, a journey that never veers from the long and straight road is a tiresome one. That’s why I love European film, Ruben Östlund’s 2017 Palme d'Or winning The Square in particular. It’s nothing like Pulp Fiction before anyone makes comment, but it does do that wonderful thing whereby it captures little aspects of life often deemed unimportant in most mainstream films, when in fact, quite the opposite is true. At its core The Square is about Christian, the curator of the X-Royal art museum in Stockholm and the film follows his actions over the course of several weeks, satirizing the decadence of the contemporary art world along the way, with style and panache. Now I’m a huge follower of contemporary art but it isn’t beyond satire (nothing is). The observational mockery in The Square is fair and balanced and I’m sure those in the industry loved it as much as anyone. Art, I would argue, is most loved when its loved by the skeptical. Besides, the observational humour reflected in The Square isn’t just concerning the contemporary art world, it also challenges each viewer for an opinion, often about subjects the viewer knows little of or has thought little about. It then begs the question, why must one make a choice and how often do we, as a society, read too much into things? (read my other film reviews for more insight). A lot of what is featured in the film has happened in real life, a few of them to writer/director Ruben Östlund himself, including the elaborate methods used to pick-pocket Christian that leads to all sorts of problems for him. In another scene we see a Q & A interrupted by a man with Tourette's syndrome yelling obscenities at the interviewer. Half the audience realise he has Tourette’s and the other half don’t and it leads to a very awkward interview. This is based on a true incident that happened at a Swedish theatre and has been mentioned several times since the film came out with Östlund reminding viewers that this is satire, people mistake much of his work for insensitivity but he satirizes every single character in his work and it is never malicious. Far from it in fact, as he explores many social issues head-on with a balanced and playful view that can be understood and enjoyed universally. The story for the film was actually conceived when director Östlund and the film’s producer Kalle Boman entered an installation into the Vandalorum Museum in Värnamo in 2014. In their artists' statement, they wrote "The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it we all share equal rights and obligations.” They immersed themselves in the world of contemporary art which is why the film feels so authentic. There is a wonderful moment in the film where we see a cleaner trying to sweep around pile of sand in one of the galleries – the piece being a nod to the work of Robert Smithson among many. Christian is later informed that some of the piece has been accidentally sucked into a vacuum cleaner and he asks them to discreetly put it back without telling anyone. Now I struggle with artists such as Carl Andre but I have always wondered about pieces that have been created by dead artists and arranged by galleries. Is it still the same art? It looks the same but if the artist themselves haven’t arranged it, isn’t it just lumps of sand? It’s quite a light-hearted and cheeky comment but done with respect and a forgivable playfulness. The film is at its most contemporary when it deals with a promotional video made to advertise the upcoming exhibition. It could be considered a work of art in its own right – a video showing a little homeless girl being blown up – challenging the viewer to react and then questioning their reaction. It is seen as a cheap shot by the press and the public are outraged but when Christian says it was a mistake in a press conference he is then challenged for a lack of integrity – something an artist must keep in place at all times in order to be taken seriously. However, the film’s big scene – one of my favorite in modern cinema, is the reconstruction of an incident that happened during the international group exhibition "Interpol" at Färgfabriken in Stockholm. Russian artist Oleg Kulik was invited to perform at the exhibitions opening ceremony whereby he performed like a dog. He barked, ran around, jumped on tables and even bit the leg of one of the attendees. Kulik said he acted as a representative of the browbeaten Russian people, who now attacked and bit back. The crowd weren’t too sure what the performance was about and became so scared and enraged that they called for the police. In The Square Terry Notary (known for his work in the Planet of the Ape films) portrays a similar artist but performs at a Gala dinner as an ape with awkward, hilarious and frightening consequences. It’s one of the best scenes in a film ever, a brilliant bit of film making made even better when you learn that it really happened. Ruben Östlund’s vision works and Fredrik Wenzel’s cinematography fits it perfectly. The choreography during the mugging scene is actually brilliant but you might not even notice it, it’s perfect and subtle. Claes Bang is great in the lead role and Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West and Terry Notary are brilliant in their supporting roles. It’s the first film I have agreed should have won the Palme d'Or and it is by far one of the best films of 2017 (although was released in most countries in 2018).