ReelBob: ‘The Square’ ★★½
By Bob Bloom
“The Square” is a maddening movie. It’s one of those artsy films that impresses in parts, but, on the whole, drives you to distraction.
And at nearly 2½ hours, the movie seems to meander about, obscuring at times what it wants to say.
Claes Bang stars as Christian Nielsen, the curator of a contemporary art museum in Stockholm, whose next show, “The Square,” is an installation. Its purpose is to stir passersby to altruism, to help remind them of their responsibility toward their all of mankind.
The movie tries to be satiric, but some of the humor fails to connect or have any bite.
The art installation is supposed to be a safe place for trust and sharing. Spotlighting the dichotomy between the art and Christian’s behavior is writer-director Ruben Ostlund’s prime motivation.
Early in the movie, Christian has his wallet and cellphone stolen. It is tracked to an apartment building in a poorer section of the city.
Not knowing which apartment, Christian and one of his employees create a letter that they deliver to every apartment in the complex.
Christian gets his items returned, but the letter comes back to haunt him.
When a young resident takes umbrage, and demands an apology for being labeled a thief, Christian becomes so distracted that he OKs a controversial video to create interest in “The Square.”
When the video goes viral, it creates a backlash that affects Christian and his career.
It’s difficult to like this movie. Its pace is rather slow, with a couple of subplots that go nowhere. It does pick up in the final act, but by then you probably have lost interest and are just counting down to the finale.
Bang’s performance is what makes the movie tolerable. His character is one of those people who knows about art, but is rather sketchy about the real world.
He constantly seems out of touch and bewildered, not really comfortable around people.
The movie also takes a swipe at political correctness, detailing the hypocrisy that surrounds those who talk the talk, but cannot bring themselves to walk the walk.
“The Square” makes you uncomfortable; it is off-putting, which may be Ostlund’s intention.
The problem is he succeeds so well that the point of the movie may simply fly over your head without you even noticing.
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
THE SQUARE
2½ stars out of 4
(R), violence, language, sexual content