The Square (2017)

Director: Ruben Ostlund
Stars: Claes Bang. Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West
Runtime: 142 minutes

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 8/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 7/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: Ever since "The Square" won the Palme d'Or at Cannes a few months ago, I have been eagerly waiting to watch it. This Swedish production was directed by Ruben Ostlund, the man behind 2014's "Force Majeure", a film I enjoyed very much, and that was centered around the themes of love and marriage. His newest project was similarly crafted, as it also revolved around themes rather than a well-structured story with a beginning, middle, and end. This time, Ostlund, who also wrote the script, decided to focus on subjects like freedom of speech, art, and humanity, which are quite sensitive topics very much discussed in today's world, and I absolutely loved it. This is a movie with a clear message, excellent dialogue, great performances, a very adequately unique score, and that despite a runtime of nearly two and half hours, never bored me once. However, the problems I have with this film are twofold, and they're the reason why I can't quite say that I enjoyed "The Square" more than "Force Majeure". First of all, the character played by Elizabeth Moss didn't need to exist and was obviously integrated into the story to attract western audiences. She's even included in the poster of the movie, despite her appearing in the movie for about 5 minutes. The second thing that annoyed me was a scene toward the end that caused a bit of a controversy and that is also featured on the poster. It didn't work at all for me, as I felt that it was unnecessarily long and annoying. "The Square", despite these minor problems, was still very entertaining and on some level, enlightening, and I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoyed "Force Majeure". 

Final Grade: 8/10