The Square Revisited

The Square 2017. Dominic West, Terry Notary Dir. by Ruben Ostlund

When you see a movie with a friend or friends, usually you chat immediately after and discuss whether you liked it or not. Today, I had coffee with my friend  Anna who I had seen The Square with, almost a month ago. She wasn't feeling well during/after the movie, then the holidays happened. So we sat down and starting catching up and she said "Wait. Listen, we have GOT to talk about that last movie we saw". That movie was The Square, which I really liked. Anna did not.

If you haven't seen The Square, I'm sure it will be streaming soon. It won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 2017, and is a satirical look at the art world. But at its core, it's a movie about aiding others when they need it, despite race/class/religion.  How they do it, is what Anna had a hard time with. There's a scene in which Terry Notary plays a performance artist who does a pretty extreme piece at a formal gala during dinner, which illustrates how far someone can go without anyone stepping in to assist the person in need. Vague summation, I know, but I am aiming to keep this spoiler free. Anna thought it was gratuitous and disturbing, and it most certainly is, but I think the movie would be lacking without it.

There are plenty other scenes throughout the film to illustrate this and make people squirm which I think is what the director, Ruben Ostlund, was going for. I mean, there are also issues of trust and guilt throughout the film, and the question of what art actually is, and Elisabeth Moss who we both wondered what the hell her role was all about. Maybe trust AND guilt? I should have just recorded our conversation and posted it here. If you are wondering whether The Square is a movie for you, just remember that Anna says no. Woody, on the other hand says Yes.