Movie #1390 "The Square" -- the one major film I saw at the Chicago Film Festival yesterday was this Palm D'Or winner from Cannes, and the Swedish winner to represent their country in the Academy Awards selection (so it just might be a nominee, because everyone was talking about this film at the festival). Anyway, I liked it more than this director's previous award winning film "Force Majeur" -- it had more of a story, went along more smoothly, had a great sense of humor, great musical score (although the score in the other film wasn't too shabby either) Here, it is outstanding and it plays a character at times! Once again, in this film, it's the quiet moments --- the awkward scenes, and there are many of them here --- It's a satire of the contemporary art world, and it follows a curator of something like MOMA but in Sweden, and the audience sees all the problems he has to deal with several things: publicity for the newest art object in his museum , "The Square" -- which is a tough thing to sell; a robbery of his watch; a visit from his two little girls, a new relationship with Elizabeth Moss, one tough cookie!; putting up with the rich investors in the art at his museum, a loose art object who becomes dangerous, a stalking kid, and the list goes on. This guy who is the lead is a real find because not only does he speak swedish and english, but he's easy on the eyes -- a blend of Pierce Brosnan and Ryan Reynolds. I give this film 4.5 out of 5. And I think it just might have a good chance getting an academy award nomination for foreign film. We'll see.
"THE SQUARE" rated R 2017
Testing the thin line between art and reality, a famed museum's new creative director mounts an installation -- "The Square" -- intended to foster altruism. But he sets off a hue and cry after enlisting a public relations firm to tout the exhibition.
Director: Rubin Ostlund
