2022 Cannes Marathon: The Square

 

(2017 Winner of the Palme d’Or and the Vulcan Technical Prize to Josefin Asberg)

Written, co-edited, and directed by Ruben Ostlund, The Square is the story of a curator who goes through a professional and personal crisis while trying to stage an upcoming exhibit that is to create controversy. The film is the study of a man who is about to stage an exhibit as he deals with many crises in his life as well as the possible end of his own art career. Starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and Terry Notary. The Square is a witty and engaging film from Ruben Ostlund.

The film explores a museum curator who is set to stage an upcoming exhibit for an artist that is set to create some controversy while he deals with many aspects of his life that begins when his wallet, phone, and cufflinks were stolen. It is a film that is really a character study of a man that is dealing with a life that is in chaos as he runs an art museum in Stockholm that is about to display this exhibit for an Argentine artist that is to say a lot about humanity. The moment he becomes a victim of theft is where things start to fall apart for him as he would get himself into lots of trouble both professionally and personally. Ruben Ostlund’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it largely follows the life of Christian (Claes Bang) who is trying to stage an exhibition where it all revolves around a square and its meaning with society. Yet, the theft of his phone, wallet, and cufflinks would put Christian into a tailspin just as he is about to present this exhibit. A couple of his assistants would help find his possessions but Christian’s letters in asking for his return would get him into more trouble.

The first act is about Christian trying to hold the exhibit as well as figure out how to present it as well as getting his personal possessions back. The second act is about the return of those possessions but also his tryst with an American journalist in Anne (Elisabeth Moss) as well as the trouble he endures from a young Arab kid (Elijandro Edouard) with a discussion about art from an expert in Julian (Dominic West) being interrupted by a man with Tourette’s. Then a couple of promotional figures come in with an idea to promote the exhibition as what they come up with ends up becoming very controversial with Christian being the target of what was presented. The third act is about the fallout but also Christian dealing with what he did to this young kid as well as a dinner with a performance artist in Oleg (Terry Notary) that went too far.

Ostlund’s direction definitely has a lot of gorgeous imagery and compositions as it is shot on location in and around Stockholm as well as Gothenburg and parts of Berlin with the museum being a major character in the film. Yet, Ostlund makes something definitely play into a crucial period in time for not just Sweden but Europe itself as it relates to the migration crisis of the time as the city is filled with not just a lot of homeless people around Christian’s world but also some of Arab descent. It is Ostlund making a social commentary about the art world and its disconnect with the real world though the exhibit Christian is to present is about this need for equality even though he doesn’t do anything about what is around him though he would buy a sandwich for a woman and later give a homeless person some money. It is Ostlund trying to say something about the world while the scenes set in the museum are presented in some strange form of satire in some of the exhibits shown but also in what Christian is set to present from this unseen Argentine artist.

There are a lot of wide and medium shots that Ostlund create that include some gazing images although there are moments where the film does drag as it has a running time of over two-and-a-half hours. Notably as it wants to be funny at times but also be serious as there is an element of unevenness in what Ostlund wanted to do though the eventual promotional clip for this exhibit is a moment of dark comedy. The film’s third act involves this moment of intense discomfort as it is meant to be a satirical comedy of these parties but also how someone takes it too far. Even as Christian becomes troubled by the fact that he is surrounded in a world that is confusing and detached from reality where he also has to answer for things he did although he is confronted by people who have their own agendas rather than hear the truth. Overall, Ostlund crafts a captivating film about a museum curator dealing with personal and professional challenges just as he’s about to present a controversial art exhibit.

Cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lighting for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night with some vibrant lighting for a major dinner scene as well as some straightforward shots for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editors Ruben Ostlund and Jacob Secher Schuslinger do excellent work with the editing as they allow shots to linger for a few minutes as well as create a stylish montage for Christian and Anne’s sex scene. Production designer Josefin Asberg does incredible work with not just many of the interiors and exhibits inside the museum but the square outside of the museum along with some of the objects at the homes of a few characters. Costume designer Sofie Krunegard does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with the exception of tuxedos and designer dresses at the dinner in the third act as well as the cheerleading costumes that Christian’s daughters wear.

Makeup designer Erica Spetzig and special effects makeup artist Morten Jacobsen do terrific work with the look of a few characters with Oleg being notable in a few bits. Special effects supervisor Johan Harnesk, plus visual effects supervisors Samir Arabzadeh, Jonah Edstrom, and Tomas Naslund, does nice work with the visual effects as it is largely bits of set dressing as well as the look of a few promotional bits and in some of the art exhibits. Sound editor Andreas Franck does superb work with the sound as it is straightforward but also in how music sounds as well as how sparse elements in a room are presented. Music supervisor Rasmus Thord creates a wonderful music soundtrack that largely consists of acapella pieces from Bobby McFerrin as well as music from Justice, Sultan + Shepard, Holl & Rush, Gasolin, and classical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach that is performed by Yo-Yo Ma with McFerrin as it play into the film’s offbeat tone.

The casting by Pauline Hansson is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Lise Stephenson Engstrom and Lilianne Mardon as two of Christian’s daughters, Daniel Hallberg and Martin Sooder as a couple of advertising agents who would create a controversial YouTube video, Annica Liljeblad as a museum personnel who interviews Julian, Marina Schiptjenko and Nicki Dar as a couple of board members of the museum, Elijandro Edouard as a young Arab kid who gets a letter from Christian accusing him of being a thief, Christopher Laesso as an assistant named Michael who helps Christian find his possessions, and Dominic West as an art expert named Julian who finds himself becoming a target during a dinner at the museum.

Terry Notary is brilliant as the performance artist Oleg who acts like an ape during a dinner as he takes things too far. Elisabeth Moss is amazing as Anne as an American journalist who interviews Christian for a piece only to embark on an affair with him that becomes a bit weird as Moss brings some humor to her performance. Finally, there’s Claes Bang in an incredible performance as Christian as a museum curator who finds himself dealing with professional and personal crises as there is humor in his performance but a lot of it is straightforward as he also displays a sense of arrogance in his character who endures humility as well as the fact that he doesn’t have much control in his life.

The Square is a marvelous film from Ruben Ostlund. Featuring a great cast, amazing set designs, and a witty study of a man’s life in chaos. It is a film that is an engaging satire despite some flaws in its narrative and lack of major action that occur in the film. In the end, The Square is a remarkable film from Ruben Ostlund.

Ruben Ostlund Films: (The Guitar Mongoloid) – (Involuntary) – (Play (2011 film)) – Force Majeure - (Triangle of Sadness)

© thevoid99 2022

2015 Cannes Marathon: Force Majeure

(Winner of the Un Certain Regarde Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival)

Written and directed by Ruben Ostlund, Force Majeure is the story of a family vacation at the French Alps nearly goes wrong when an avalanche nearly kills them. The film is an exploration into the world of family and how people react towards near-fatal catastrophes. Starring Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Clara Wettergren, Vincent Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, and Fanni Metelius. Force Majeure is a captivating and provocative film from Ruben Ostlund.

Set in a ski resort in the French Alps near Savoie, France, the film revolves a week in the life of a Swedish family on a holiday where a near-fatal encounter with an avalanche forces a couple to come into question about their reaction. Most notably as the husband-father Tomas (Johannes Bah Kuhnke) ran from his own family during the event as his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) wondered why he did that. It’s a film that plays into a family questioning not just its patriarch over what had happened but why as he goes into denial and such. Ruben Ostlund’s screenplay does play into a traditional narrative structure as it plays into the days of the week where the first day is fine. Yet, it is the second day where the avalanche happens as it becomes about not just Tomas’ action or lack of for his family but also in how things start to fall apart as Tomas’ own children are upset with him. Its second act involve the visit of a couple of friends of Tomas and Ebba who try to make sense of what happened as it leads to many questions about how someone would react into that kind of situation.

Ostlund’s direction is very mesmerizing for the way he creates a simple family drama that is set on location in this ski resort on the French Alps. The location itself is a character in the film as Ostlund uses a lot of wide shots to capture the look of those mountains as well as knowing where to place the camera for the event that would shape an entire family. There aren’t a lot of close-ups in the film as Ostlund prefers to showcase a film about an entire family where a lot of medium and wide shots are used. The compositions showcase how close they are early in the film such as the fact that they all share the same bed. Once they all had encountered the avalanche, the framing becomes evident into how troubled the family is as there’s a shot where a hotel cleaner watches as he would appear very often.

The direction also have Ostlund maintain an intimacy with the scenes inside the hotel suite Tomas, Ebba, and their children live in as he knows how to frame a moment such as the family brushing their teeth or the scene where their friends to discuss what happened. The sense of tension does emerge as well as moments that are very emotionally intense as it relates to Tomas and Ebba each going into their own personal journeys to cope with everything that had happened. There’s also some moments that involves a drone that Tomas had bought which does kind of add an element of suspense but also play into how immature Tomas is at times. One notable scene in the film’s third act doesn’t just play into a family coping with near tragedy but also in a moment where they would have another dangerous encounter that actually mirrors a real-life moment where a bunch of people nearly got killed as it is about a simple human reaction and what a person would do in this situation. Overall, Ostlund creates a very engrossing yet powerful film about a family coping with near-tragedy and its aftermath.

Cinematographer Fredrik Wenzel does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to capture the vast look of the locations in the Alps with its naturalistic look of snow as well as some unique lighting for some scenes set at night including the scenes inside the hotel. Editor Jacob Secher Schulsinger does excellent work with the editing as it‘s very simple by not going for any kind of conventional fast-cuts by employing something that is more methodical while knowing when to cut for a transition or use a rhythmic cut for a dramatic moment. Production designer Josefin Asberb does superb work with the look of the hotel halls and some of its rooms as well as the hotel suite that Tomas, Ebba, and their children live in.

Costume designer Pia Aleborg does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play into what the family wears in and out of the resort. Visual effects supervisors Samir Arabzadeh and Hakan Blomdahl do fantastic work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects such as the avalanche sequence and other parts to play into the cold weather. Sound editors Andreas Franck and Gisle Tveito do brilliant work with the sound editing to play into the sound of snow winds and other parts such as the cannons at night to help create the sense of drama and tension that looms into the film. The film’s music by Ola Flottum is wonderful for its low-key ambient score that is use quite sparingly as most of the music is played on location from electronic dance to a classical piece by Antonio Vivaldi that serves as an effective dramatic piece for some of the film’s transitions.

The casting by Katja Wik is great as it features an appearance from Brady Corbet as an American tourist who dines with Tomas and Ebba, Karin Myrenberg as a friend of Ebba who is dating the American as she talks about what Ebba went through, and Johannes Moustos as the hotel cleaner who would often observe things that is happening in the hotel. Kristofer Hivju and Fanni Metelius are excellent in their respective roles as family friends Mats and Fanni as the two try to observe what had happened as well as present their own views on the situation. Clara and Vincent Wettergren are amazing in their respective roles as Vera and Harry as the two kids who cope with what had happened with the youngest in Harry thinking that his parents will split up. Lisa Loven Kongsli is brilliant as Ebba as a mother of two kids who copes with what happened as she is angry at her husband for his reaction and lack of action. Finally, there’s Johannes Bah Kuhnke in a fantastic performance as Tomas as a man whose reaction to the avalanche makes him look bad in front of his family as he ponders if he didn’t do anything or had a different view of what happened.

Force Majeure is a phenomenal film from Ruben Ostlund. Armed with a great cast, sprawling visuals, and an insightful story about simple human reactions to near-fatal events and other things makes it more than just a simple drama. Even as it manages to provoke many questions about how someone would react to these situations and such. In the end, Force Majeure is a spectacular film from Ruben Ostlund.

Ruben Ostlund Films: (The Guitar Mongoloid) - (Involuntary) - (Play (2011 film)) - The Square (2017 film) - (Triangle of Sadness)

© thevoid99 2015