Cornwall Film Festival // The Square

Dir. Ruben Östlund | Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark | 2017 | 144 min

The Force Majeure director returns with a thrillingly weird study of an art gallery director whose life goes into meltdown after his mobile phone is stolen. 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. Starting  Elisabeth Moss (THE HANDMAID’S TALE & TOP OF THE LAKE:CHINA GIRL), Dominic West & Claes Bang (THE BRIDGE, BORGEN)

Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes and Sweden’s nomination for the 2017 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. 

“it sets out to make your jaw drop. And it succeeds” - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"Östlund’s eye for the subtleties of human behavior, especially public behavior, never fails" – Emily Yoshida, Vulture