It’s always nice to get a surprise in life and that’s exactly what Swedish satirical drama The Square is shaping up to be. It’s already managed to sideswipe the press and media by taking the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and we’re expecting it to do the same to audiences when it arrives on the big screen in the US later this year and the UK in 2018.
Despite being in contention, it wasn’t really anywhere near the top of the various predictions doing the rounds, but it managed to beat out some decent competition to win the coveted film award. This included favourites, 120 Beats Per Minute, You Were Never Really Hear, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and Loveless. However, Pedro Almodovar and the rest of the jury this year clearly saw something special in Ruben Östlund’s art museum satire. You can check out the full trailer and a couple of clips from the film below to get an idea of what to expect.
Release date
The Square had its premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on the 20th May 2017 and went on to be released in Sweden on the 25th August 2017. Distributors Magnolia Pictures has also confirmed the film will be out in the US on the 27th October 2017, so it will be up against Thor: Ragnarok, which is out on the 3rd.
However, the UK release date has been set for March 16th, 2018, so we’ll have a long wait to see the Palm d’Or winner.
Story
The plot takes place at a prestigious museum in Stockholm which was converted from the old palace that was once the residence of the abolished Swedish. The manager of the museum, Christian, is keen to see his efforts rewarded by success and when an artist exhibits an installation designed to promote altruism, he sets out to create a buzz for the upcoming exhibition.
He appoints a slick PR firm from the city, which wastes no time in trying to build a name for the exhibition space, going to extraordinary extremes in the process. As things go too far and their publicity stunts get out of hand there is a public backlash exposing the hypocrisy of the media.
The Square film clip 1:
Cast
Claes Bang leads the cast as the driven museum manager Christian. The cast also includes renowned American actor, stunt artist and movement coach Terry Notary (War For The Planet Of The Apes) who you can see in the film clip below, as well as Dominic West (Tomb Raider (2018)) who also features in the same video.
The Square film clip 2:
Production
The Square has been written and directed by Ruben Östlund, whose previous work includes acclaimed 2014 drama Force Majeure. The film has been produced by Erik Hemmendorff for Plattform Produktion with Magnolia Pictures distributing the film in the US and UK.
First impressions
Despite winning the Palme d’Or, The Square has had a mixed response from film critics. You can see from the film clips above this may well be a Marmite release that you’re either going to love or loath a little. Either way, it’s setup to be an uncomfortable satirical take on the art world and we’re looking forward to seeing the film when it finally arrives here in the UK.
