Here at The Playlist, we called Cannes Palme d’Or Winner “The Square” “an excoriating razor-burn of a movie that deploys drollery like an instrument of torture” and a “schadenfreude boomerang. Directed by Ruben Östlund (“Force Majeure”), “The Square” has already achieved notoriety for its hard-edged satirical cringe-comedy aimed at the cultural elite. Here’s the synopsis from Cannes (pardon me if I avert my eyes, my goal is to go into the theater knowing as little as possible about this one):
Christian 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.
Cannes jury president Pedro Almodóvar had this to say about the film: “[‘The Square’ is] about the dictatorship of being politically correct… That is terrible and awful and more horrifying than any other dictatorship. Fortunately, in such a serious subject, [it also has such an] incredible imagination… I think it’s a movie that I like to see again because it’s so rich. There are so many different things. The sanctity of these people to be politically correct and they live in a kind of hell because of that. And it is [written] and directed with a master hand.”
“The Square” stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary, and Christopher Læssø, and promises to make us all feel uncomfortable for over two hours. Hey, it made Almodóvar cry; what makes you think you can withstand its powers? “The Square” hits theaters via Magnolia Pictures on October 27.