The Square (2017)

Directed by: Ruben Östlund | 140 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Dominic West, Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Terry Notary, Christopher Læssø, Marina Schiptjenko, Elijandro Edouard, Daniel Hallberg, Martin Sööder, Sofie Hamilton

The relationship between art and humanity, that’s what it’s all about in ‘The Square’. Because, it is often assumed, through art and culture we can distinguish ourselves from animals, the monkey first. Art gives us the power of right-mindedness. Art enables people to reflect on themselves as well as to better understand others. Art manifests emotion. In summary: art makes us better people.

But, as ‘The Square’ mercilessly exposes, people have come a long way in that thinking about superiority, to say the least. If there is such a thing as a biological hierarchy, is there no social variant? Is a lover of the ‘higher’ culture better than that of the ‘lower’? And are the adherents of modern art, often incomprehensible to the general public, the pinnacle of humanity? They may not dare to say it out loud, but there is no doubt that Western society is aware of its cultural snobbery.

Although he seems to do everything with the best intentions, main character Christian (Claes Bang) can’t avoid this loftiness either. The curator at a prominent museum is in the high, social circles of the Swedish elite. He approaches contemporary art with certain pretensions, which are at odds with how the vast majority of his compatriots deal with it. He proves his moral superiority in his objectification of women and showing off his electric car. Mankind is corrupt, but he himself is not one of them.

With the purchase of a new art installation, Christian hopes to become a significant player on a global level as well. The installation, a four by four meter square, aims to bring people together. In times of far-reaching individualism, there is a great need for this, argues the art connoisseur. The people who step into the utopian square are completely equal to each other. Those in need receive the support they are entitled to. Trust is the highest good. Participants have equal rights and equal obligations. Humanity can win there. It is morality at its peak.

But then Christian’s holy grail is stolen: his cell phone. Soon there is no longer any question of superiority. And it becomes clear that art for the elite, and the associated advertising hipsters, is often no more than a way to earn money and to stroke one’s own ego. By only using art commercially, it is stripped of its content. It is not the art that is central, but the hype it can generate. The way in which we ignore the actual content of art, we also ignore our own humanity. We, humans, are then ultimately no more than the monkeys we consider so inferior.

Although ‘The Square’, Golden Palm winner at the Cannes Film Festival, does not color very subtly within the lines here, the execution and the acting are in perfect order. Director Ruben Östlund (‘Turist’; 2014) also puts the characters first. Or more precisely, the flaws of those characters. The humor is black, but retains a light, painful form of absurdism that doesn’t make the film too heavy. It makes ‘The Square’ a wonderful social satire.