The Square

2017 2h 31m SV

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 1,797

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Magnolia Selects Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

FlixFlingBuy

Cast

Claes Bang
Christian
Elisabeth Moss
Anne
Dominic West
Julian
Terry Notary
Oleg
Christopher Læssø
Michael
Lise Stephenson Engström
Daughter
Lilianne Mardon
Daughter
Marina Schiptjenko
Elna

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ruben Östlund
Writers: Ruben Östlund
Languages: Danish, English, Swedish
Countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 151 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Danish, English, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 5 countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ruben Östlund, shot by Fredrik Wenzel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jacob Secher Schulsinger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Claes Bang and Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4995790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ruben Östlund directs. Fredrik Wenzel behind the camera. Jacob Secher Schulsinger cuts. Produced in Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, United States of America. Dialogue in Danish, English, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 151 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Danish, English, Swedish.
4International production across 5 countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, United States of America.
5Directed by Ruben Östlund, shot by Fredrik Wenzel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Jacob Secher Schulsinger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Claes Bang and Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt4995790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "satire", "theft", "installation", "town square".

The technical file

Cinematography: Fredrik Wenzel
Editing: Jacob Secher Schulsinger
Production design: Josefin Åsberg
Costume design: Sofie Krunegård
Makeup / hair: Erica Spetzig
VFX supervisor: Tomas Näslund
Sound: Bent Holm
Runtime: 151 min · 2h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $9,494,535
Original language: SV
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Square (2017)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Director
European Film Award for Best Actor
European Film Award for Best Film
Palme d'Or
European Film Award for Best Comedy
Greta
European Film Award for Best Screenwriter
European Film Award for Best Production Designer

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ruben Östlund

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

j0ng2018-03-25
★ 8/10
I'm not a great fan of dramas, but this was an entertaining film. I gave this 4 stars just for the ape scene.
CinemaSerf2024-05-26
★ 6/10
I maybe just wasn't in the right mood for this, but after about half an hour I really didn't much care what happened to "Christian" (Claes Bang), or pretty much anyone else. He runs one of those galleries that puts a glass of water on a dusty shelf and calls it art. You know, emperor's new clothes kind of stuff. His latest "exhibition" is designed to remind the public of their responsibilities to each other but his focus is diverted when he is the victim of a pickpocket. No phone. No wallet. He devises an unique way to get them back by putting a note through all of his neighbours' letter boxes delivering an accusatory ultimatum. Curiously enough, that's not the only stupid idea he has as this rather plodding drama meanders it's way from one bad decision to another for 2½ hours. It reaches it's most bizarrely surreal when the entertainment - "Oleg" (Terry Notary) - at a very fancy fund-raising dinner goes quite spectacularly wrong, but there are plenty other daft scenarios as he tries to sort out a marketing campaign, manage a curiously sterile relationship with "Anne" (a dreadfully wooden Elizabeth Moss) and deal with an increasingly exasperating kid (Elijandro Edouard) who seems to think his own family think he nicked the stuff! To be fair to Bang, he does manage to imbue quite a decent degree of insufferable arrogance as his pompous character finds all of his comfort blankets taken away and himself exposed to a society that couldn't care less, indeed is even openly critical, of his obvious double standards. I did like the premiss, but auteur Ruben Östlund indulges himself too completely for me, and I was frankly bored by the end. Maybe a tightening edit could help refocus the humour and the moral of the story? Sorry - not for me.