QCinema 2017 | The Square

Ruben Ostlund's The Square begins with three activities that seem disparate, but are actually related in a way: scenes of beggars begging and petitioners asking in vain if people want to help, a grift that results in the theft of a wallet and phone, and the creation of the titular Square - the symbolic representation of the social contract, a space of trust, understanding and empathy. The first activity reflects the stark reality of the current state of that contract, the second is a transactional activity, in many respects a piece of performance art subverting that contract, and the third, an abstract, vague representation that is ultimately disconnected with the real world. Guess which one feels fake.

The Square makes its point early on, exposing the abject hypocrisy and privilege of the art world, and it keeps on making that point all throughout the film, just in case we forget. While art curator Christian (Claes Bang) presents works of art like the aforementioned square and an exhibit featuring mounds of gravel with backlit sign saying "you have nothing," it's juxtaposed with scenes of the museum receiving generous donations from wealthy patrons. While we see scenes of beggars in the streets of Sweden, a pervasive image that permeates the entire film, we also see decadent parties and marketing people blowing beggars up on video for provocation's sake. We see people try to make sense of the art being created, while at the same time we see it inexorably lost in postmodern gibberish.

Ostlund is no stranger to observing social commentary through satire; his earlier Force Majeure explored masculinity (or lack thereof) in modern times. The Square takes a slightly more ambitious slant, contending that in contemporary times, our capacity for sympathy and empathy has greatly diminished. Some people are so accustomed to their own self importance and privilege that they create art that professes to speak for people they really don't care about in real life - in a sense, the inherent irresponsibility of some works of art. Society has devolved into a state where social interaction is shallow and casual, fueled out of ego and self interest (a particular scene involving a condom comes to mind, a scene that plays with our own expectations as well.) 

Consider a scene in the middle of the film when a beggar asks Christian to buy her a chicken ciabatta sandwich. At first, Christian is gracious, eager to buy her the sandwich. But when she requests that the sandwich have no onions, what did you feel? Did you ask yourself, 'how dare she make demands on charity?' Ask yourself instead, "why not?" Maybe she was allergic to onions or something. Christian's reaction is expected, but is damning: it reveals his intentions behind the charity as merely a means to make himself feel good, to do his nice deed for the day. The dismissive way he chucks the sandwich to the woman afterwards is telling. This is characteristic of most of the characters of the film. When a realization does come to one of the characters, it's far too late, the film deciding to stay on the uncomfortable silence that follows.

The movie is poorly served by an extended running time; making the same point over and over again can feel tedious if one has to stay through 140 minutes of it. Otherwise, The Square is a pretty solid film. Perhaps it does not reach the same impact as Ostlund's Force Majeure did, but it remains one of my favorite films of the year.