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The Square

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The Square

R

Released Oct 27, 2017

2h 22m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

218 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))

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

Jun 10, 2022

Full Review

Udita Jhunjhunwala

Firstpost

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.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 14, 2019

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Namrata Joshi

The Hindu

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

Jul 12, 2018

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Paul Kanieski

KSQD Community Radio

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.

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

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!

Nov 10, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

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.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 17, 2022

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Dave S

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/27/24

Full Review

Pat B

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.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/22/24

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Marit Risto F

Sad. Nevrotic. Destructive

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

Full Review

Jonah K

seems to be guilty itself of several aspects it is satirizing, which might be the point. there’s a lot of points that are made here and maybe a few too many. the commentary here really didn’t justify such an extensive runtime. it sounds like i hated this but i actually think it was very engaging.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/31/24

Full Review

KB B

This movie was a huge jumbled mess with no continuity. It's touted as a comedy thriller but I didn't laugh at all and was not thrilled even once One question remains; how did this get such high reviews by the "experts"? Don't bother with this one.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

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MÃ¡tÃ© J

Main topic seems to be the same as for Triangle of Sadness but in different clothes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

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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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