The art world is the subject of this bitingly satirical take-down, which won Ruben Östlund the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Claes Bang is Christian, the respected curator of a contemporary art museum in Stockholm. He’s gearing up to launch their next show, ‘The Square’, a daring installation examining altruism and our duty to help others. However, Christian’s own views on social responsibility are put to the test when he becomes the victim of a scam, forcing him to question the world around him and his place in it. Meanwhile, a shocking viral stunt cooked up by the museum’s PR agency is met with public outcry, sending Christian – and the museum – into an existential crisis. Just as Östlund tore into the nuclear family with the hilarious Force Majeure so here he questions the role of art in society, where intention and outcome can wildly diverge.
