The Square is art that is induced in your mind.
It is subtle, and from Argentina.
The film start with a royal equine statue being removed from a plinth. The rope break and the statue falling and shatters.
Imagine if you can trust others....
What do you do if you can not trust....
The film starts with a betrayal of trust.
"Help me-" no one does. A young woman says she is fleeing a murderous man. Two strong men stand together to defend her as she flees in what they assume to be domestic abuse.
It's a setup. The men think they have done the right thing. Actually they are being robbed. What if the situation were not so stereotypical? A ugly old black man fleeing violence?
The theft has made all acts of goodness more complex.
Stockholm is full of beggars. Some not very pleasant. Some quite demanding.
The 'Square' helps the observer expose their inner sense of good or fear.
This is a morality play. I am think of Dr Faustus, or An Inspector Calls.
What is it to be good? Christian succeeds in getting his phone back, but at a cost. A furious ten year is being punished because his parents think he is a thief.
It gets through to Christian what he has done. He tries to put it right, but it's too late.
Christian admits he is to blame. But is he? He missed the briefing where an outrageous advert was discussed. He was distracted because of the phone incident. Was the advert outrageous? Isn't art to be outrageous sometimes? When the ad company takes the blame, can Christian save his skin? Or is it too late?
'Anna' the casual lover, lives with a chimpanzee that seems more human than animal (It applied make up.) The artist employed to entertain the guests at a posh dinner oversteps his brief and is too animal. Art on the rampage.
Art at the cut edge. Sometime it cuts deep and blood flows.
Christian is powerful. He can have what ever he wants. He can have women when he barely knows their name. He can party in the royal palace. But his relationships fall to bits. His children seem stressed and unhappy.
The only reference to faith in this whole film is Christian's name. This is a post-christian film. X-christian. (the gallery is called X-Royal.)
Thought provoking and disturbing. Perfect for film club.
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