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The Square

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The Square

2017

Comedy

Drama

2h 31m

Christian is the successful curator of a modern art museum - he lives in the epicenter of the art community and takes his work very seriously. A few days before the opening of the prestigious exhibition The Square he is mugged, which he can neither shake off or let pass unnoticed. Christian embarks on a hunt for the perpetrator and ends up in situations that turn steadily more amusing, and make him question his own moral compass. (imdb)

Directed by:

Written by:

Starring:

Claes Bang Christopher Læssø Terry Notary Annica Liljeblad Marina Schiptjenko Nicki Dar Lise Stephenson Engström Lilianne Mardon Elijandro Edouard Daniel Hallberg

Genres:

Comedy, Drama

Countries:

Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden

Languages:

English, Swedish, Danish

More information at IMDb

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The Square

2017

Comedy

Drama

2h 31m

Your probable score

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Avg Percentile 60.96% from 1531 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

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Hofschneider

Rated 02 Feb 2018

How this movie critiques and has empathy for its characters decisions simultaneously is just marvelous. The window to do the right thing is always closing in this well-constructed piece of wisdom. Actions are always too much or not enough. Communication is a bitch. Expectations are its enemy. Art is useless. Art is the only hope. The Square gives these blunt statements the complex and critical context they need and deserve to be destroyed - and therefore to be turned into something meaningful.

Rated 02 Feb 2018

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bof

Rated 03 Mar 2018

Still not sure if Östlund's satire is that of a cold-hearted cynic or someone outraged at society, though this makes me lean slightly more toward the former. Then again, part of the beauty of The Square is that it asks the audience to fill in its own moral - ironically, much like the art it satirizes. In the meantime, it's funny and cringey as hell, as you'd expect.

Rated 03 Mar 2018

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frederic_g54

Rated 30 Nov 2017

Much to my unbridled delight, Östlund raises some thoughtful ideas on human behavior and modern society through a series of sharp and amusing vignettes, though I can't help but feel his eyes were bigger than his stomach. In keeping with its apparent ambition, the film would've fared better with a more interesting story/plot, not to mention, a less bloated and self-indulgent running time. It's still quite funny at times and Terry Notary's one-and-only scene is a killer.

Rated 30 Nov 2017

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sellis

Rated 02 Dec 2017

Favorite movie of the year thus far. It's like Holy Motors done by Haneke. If I could put it into one word, it's - scathing. A satire on all fronts, depicting its protagonist with a thousand shades of hypocrisy - contradictions he's aware of, and others he never will be. This has at least four scenes that would make a top ten of the year. A fascinating experience that winds its way from hilarity, painful awkwardness, through stretches of social terror, and back to explosive hilarity. Great film.

Rated 02 Dec 2017

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Moribunny

Rated 05 Nov 2017

Ostlund is a great director from a formal standpoint. The Square has a lot of highly aesthetic, interesting, and memorable scenes touching on various themes, but none of these themes are fully explored, which squanders their polemical/satirical potential. It's possible some of it is meant to be funny, but it isn't. Worse yet, as a story it doesn't really cohere and tie together into the persuasive whole that Ostlund seems to envision. I was curious at first and agitated in the last hour.

Rated 05 Nov 2017

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anilscn

Rated 12 Jul 2023

Mal mısınız bu puanları verenler hadi cannes siktir et onlar bu filmdeki entellerden farkları yok da saf halk size noluyor. Güldür güldüre de 80 verin aq salakları sizi beyinsiz sürüsü

Rated 12 Jul 2023

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staryarabbi

Rated 20 May 2018

States the too obvious pretentiousness and nonsense of contemporary art world and its progressive neoliberal people. Ostlund does constantly criticize and ridicule the absurdity of this "sense-less", measured yet hollow world which justifies itself with an equally hollow jargon of political correctness. Yet, what is his suggestion against this? Should our curator be less pc and more authentic? What does this offer other than a cliche Ideologiekritik with a copy-paste cinematic style?

Rated 20 May 2018

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AFlickering

Rated 28 Apr 2018

the titular motif is served well by ostlund's boxed in compositions and use of invasive off-screen sound, while his staging does justice to andersson and bunuel comparisons (THAT set-piece), but it's very obviously a first draft (a re-edit was rumored pre-cannes). without haneke-level discipline, a snarky satire on the hypocrisy of privileged, 'civilised' liberal/patriarchal institutions really needs more of its jokes to land (tourettes, ruben?...). i'll stick with my lanthimos on that score.

Rated 28 Apr 2018

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sylvie

Rated 06 Apr 2019

It was OK, but I don't see where Östlund is getting. Should we be less politically-correct? Is that the message? Feels like a confused film.

Rated 06 Apr 2019

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wetwillies

Rated 31 Oct 2017

Viewed October 29, 2017. If The Square wasn't funny, it'd come across as rather annoying and didactic. Luckily, it's really funny. A pessimistic take on trust and the increasing lack of it in the 21st century. I'm still picking it apart, but there's at least 3 sequences in there that strike me as perfect.

Rated 31 Oct 2017

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bentien

Rated 20 Dec 2017

I can forgive Östlund for the ending that drags a bit because everything else is just amazing. Funny, controversial and thought-provocing.

Rated 20 Dec 2017

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alanstrang

Rated 17 Nov 2017

I think the director moves from state-telling, where he was so successful in Force Majeure, to story-telling where he becomes winding at times. Still a nice watch.

Rated 17 Nov 2017

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Gnalkhere

Rated 06 Apr 2018

This film has singlehandedly ruined exhibitions for me

Rated 06 Apr 2018

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Judo Koala

Rated 16 Feb 2018

While far less controlled than Force Majeure, its mosaic of interpersonal dynamics and sociopolitical observations warrants such an ambitious, web-like narrative. It's as wickedly comical as it is undeniably, potently sad. Östlund is a keen observer of human behaviour and its myriad contradictions, hypocrisies, and absurdities. Yes, we might laugh, but we laugh while being confronted with our own shortcomings and failures as a society. This one will be sitting with me for a while.

Rated 16 Feb 2018

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cowfrappe

Rated 12 Nov 2017

Weird and smart and funny and weird again.

Rated 12 Nov 2017

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SheWas

Rated 26 Jan 2018

The farther I go from the movie theater, the less I know what I think of it. To me it's a good sign, as long as there's enough meat to think and rethink and question and wonder about. It's far from being a film for everyone, but it knows it's place and doing it's own thing gracefuly, which is a rare achivement. For an artsy art and philosophy lover like myself, it is a treat.

Rated 26 Jan 2018

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KasperL

Rated 25 Dec 2017

Amusing. Claes Bang carries the film really well.

Rated 25 Dec 2017

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Kmilchev1

Rated 18 Dec 2017

A nice way of displaying nordic culture and the behaviour of the people from that region. We have lost sympathy and empathy. Every time we need to help one another we are lost in confusion and unwilling to react.

Rated 18 Dec 2017

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guy piranha

Rated 01 Apr 2018

kinda lopsided in its portrayal of social adversity, but then again 2 hours only let you point out so much. and it points out a lot. like...a lot. it's in parts a tourguide to the human condition. very impressive, but being from sweden, östlund has to have a pretty good idea of the ailments in the so called "progressive" postmodern societies.

Rated 01 Apr 2018

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Ofterdingen

Rated 25 Jun 2017

The best scenes are formidable and plays like a cold, Scandinavian version of The Great Beauty. The rest is in need of shorter cut.

Rated 25 Jun 2017

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glumpy_99

Rated 26 May 2019

Utterly fascinating contemplation of the human condition, whose reach occasionally exceeds its grasp, but never stops being thought provoking, and entertaining, in its dissection of social mores and artistic pretension, coming to a head in the staggering (and unsettling) dinner party scene. Bang is perfect as the bimbo-ish 'hero' of the piece, though the entire cast is terrific, starting with Moss' intense news reporter.

Rated 26 May 2019

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mandy

Rated 21 Mar 2018

From laugh out loud funny to deeply disturbing. Though provoking and brilliantly observant but it wont be to everyone's taste and has a slightly over long run time.

Rated 21 Mar 2018

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JSchlansky

Rated 27 Mar 2018

Felt to me like a modern-day Pierrot le Fou. There is so much to dissect and analyze within the Square. Full of excellent performances and memorable scenes.

Rated 27 Mar 2018

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Detox

Rated 17 Oct 2017

Funny, intelligent and good looking. The story is made up out of little things which form the big picture. The Square deals with the lines between privacy and public life and the rules we follow, as absurd they may be. Never makes fun of the art, because art is life, but of the circus that comes with it. Loved it!

Rated 17 Oct 2017

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deaddilly

Rated 28 Oct 2020

A more bombastic version of Haneke that is at times incomprehensibly genius. I don't know if all the pieces ended up fitting, the end certainly lacks sting, but damn the critique here is just relentless.

Rated 28 Oct 2020

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paulofilmo

Rated 08 Nov 2018

~~we need to skewer patrician swedish societyuncovering the scared, frothing maelstrom beneath its hypocrisy. get me McNulty from The Wire, Bobby McFerrin, and a motion capture guy from those monkey films~~

Rated 08 Nov 2018

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amerigo

Rated 21 Feb 2021

More of a series of arthouse shorts in a loosely connected anthology than a full movie. A few of the set pieces are visionary, but many are overlong and indulgent of obscure artistic sentiments that never really come through for the viewer. Why do these "great artist" types of filmmakers never have real editors to cut the fat??

Rated 21 Feb 2021

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AnnieHall

Rated 30 Mar 2023

Dallama filmbroların övmezse karizmasının çizileceği film. 3.izleyişte de aynı sıkıcılıta.

Rated 30 Mar 2023

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PetrosTser

Rated 18 Jan 2018

I can ignore the irrelevant vignettes or headless subplots that plague the film - even the absurd main plot device - because it's actually quite an interesting satire with a very good lead in Claes Bang, neat production design and appealing themes. What I can't ignore is the prolonged, nonsensical final act that beats the viewer on the head with basic ideas that have already been expressed more eloquently in the first part. It's nowhere near focused enough and thus a great deal less powerful.

Rated 18 Jan 2018

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schnofel

Rated 21 Jan 2018

The humor does indeed come from the discrepancy between what the antiseptic theorists wanted to launch and what primate chaos they get instead. This concept does sustain quite a few brilliant satiric skits, but the cumulative havoc it wreaks is similar to when we don't give money to the beggar in the streets.

Rated 21 Jan 2018

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peyrin

Rated 29 May 2022

150 minute pretentious loser movie making fun of pretentious losers. Cannes at its finest

Rated 29 May 2022

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Agasdus

Rated 14 Jun 2019

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Armilio

Rated 31 May 2022

The film criticize the contemporary art hypocrisy of talking about how a good and just society should look like, while being a product made for high class circles with the main real purpose of being a divertissement. When the 1% is in front of the real society, it is scared and clumsy. But the movie is guilty of the same hypocrisy: Building edgy images for the sake of it, satirizing with inner-circle meta symbolism, talking down on people.

Rated 31 May 2022

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chengming

Rated 24 Nov 2018

Couple of hilarious scenes (notably the one on the poster) and beautiful psychological details again - Östlund is one to watch!

Rated 24 Nov 2018

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Adam P-D

Rated 01 Oct 2018

The more I think about this film, the more I like it. Each scene is beautifully funny and awkward and in some way explores the big themes of the seemingly ridiculous artwork, The Square: Can any object placed in a frame become art? Is equality always utopian? Should popularity influence significance? Some scenes did feel like they were drifting away on their own a little though.

Rated 01 Oct 2018

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shalev

Rated 24 Jun 2018

The ape scene was spectacular!

Rated 24 Jun 2018

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Bigbang26

Rated 05 Jun 2018

crticism raised against especially high class with satirical texture

Rated 05 Jun 2018

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overrated

Rated 17 Aug 2022

The premise is interesting- the tension between inclusive liberalism (for many exemplified by Swedes) and "classical" liberalism (for many exemplified by Danes) is very noticeable in cosmopolitan Scandinavia. Bang makes it work, mostly, but the film is too long and it's been done better - it feels like an "inclusive" Swedish director isn't going to have the balls to land a killshot satire like this deserves. Also did I miss something or was that ghetto apartment complex meant to be in Södermalm?

Rated 17 Aug 2022

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semioticus

Rated 20 Nov 2022

Once Ostlund figures out how to tie everything together or when to end the film, he'll become an exceptional director.

Rated 20 Nov 2022

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ericambler

Rated 17 Dec 2022

Not Östlund's best or most cohesive imo, yet there's still treasure in his acerbic send-up of the art world. Approach it like going to a museum: you're not going to "get" every piece, but you'll surely find something provocative. Claes Bang plays a wonderful scoundrel.

Rated 17 Dec 2022

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iyisinek

Rated 09 May 2023

Sanat, galeri, hırsızlık, modern sanat, İkiye bölüp izledim. Aslında fena değildi ama ikiye bölünce pek keyif vermedi.

Rated 09 May 2023

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guvolefou

Rated 01 Oct 2017

Filmekimi - Rexx.

Rated 01 Oct 2017

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ott

Rated 01 Dec 2018

it is quite a shame that the square the art piece was actually quite thought provoking

Rated 01 Dec 2018

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muutanet

Rated 02 Dec 2018

Very nice sound world.

Rated 02 Dec 2018

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closedmouth

Rated 27 Jan 2023

A little too contrived at times (just call the cops) but it’s really fucking funny

Rated 27 Jan 2023

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metis

Rated 06 Aug 2021

"You Have Nothing"/???????????????????/??????/"???????-????"/???????????????/????????/???????????????????????????????????????????????????"??????????"/7-11?????????????????/??????????????

Rated 06 Aug 2021

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planck

Rated 06 Jan 2020

Violence without blood

Rated 06 Jan 2020

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mjoc0723

Rated 18 Feb 2021

Long, boring liberal propaganda. Pure crap.

Rated 18 Feb 2021

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synweap

Rated 05 May 2020

Alt yapi guzel ancak ust yapi ona ayak uyduramiyor. Bu sebeple de bir sinema filminden çok boluk porcuk bir anlatima sahip skecler butunu ortaya cikiyor.

Rated 05 May 2020

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guitarmeeuw

Rated 22 Jul 2021

Really liked this one. Some funny observations of human behavior are included in the scenes.

Rated 22 Jul 2021

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lintonmyroxy

Rated 25 Jun 2020

Pretty enjoyable watch but the hardest I laughed was at the run time. I did love the recurring theme and Bang is a great lead. Mcnulty was a very welcome surprise

Rated 25 Jun 2020

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caspian

Rated 25 Jul 2020

a few dud moments, and instances of forced acting but overall it's a pretty good teardown of the irredeemable symptoms of neoliberal bourgeois (scandinavian) society

Rated 25 Jul 2020

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EvilMangoes

Rated 30 Jan 2021

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djross

Rated 23 Aug 2020

There are no conclusions to be drawn from the fact that I recently purchased a pair of red-framed glasses (albeit quite a dark red, not so much in the Sally Jessy Raphael direction) and also that the only keyboard music I can play is Bach’s Praeludium #1, right?

Rated 23 Aug 2020

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Kavu

Rated 08 Feb 2018

Quite funny at its best, but ultimately disappointing. Toni Erdmann it is not.

Rated 08 Feb 2018

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hamstercan

Rated 08 Nov 2017

It starts interesting but ties to ordinary cinema. p.s. movie is only about %10 in english.

Rated 08 Nov 2017

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nequient

Rated 09 Aug 2018

Östlund circles, for 2.5 hours, the idea of art that speaks, but does nothing (by way of the same) and a notion of masculinity from which the world has long since moved on, apparently leaving Östlund behind. Both art-on-art and the stressed alpha male straddle the line between vapidity and provocation, demanding careful, socioculturally sensitive positioning to take flight. Either, alone, is a challenge. Ruben “What Bechdel test?” Östlund chose to kill both birds with the same movie.

Rated 09 Aug 2018

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rnest

Rated 26 Aug 2017

fantastisk, eller vad man säger

Rated 26 Aug 2017

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jpotII

Rated 14 Feb 2018

Peixes.

Rated 14 Feb 2018

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le mami

Rated 12 Oct 2017

SineBu'ya gelince kesin bir daha izlerimm.

Rated 12 Oct 2017

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luord

Rated 09 Feb 2018

Its confused nature and plotlessness are more of a bug than a feature. Maybe it was trying to say something about the bystander syndrome but, ironically, the one time it actually was about to say something, it kept itself at bay.

Rated 09 Feb 2018

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CarsonWid

Rated 13 Sep 2017

Intriguing and uncomfortable

Rated 13 Sep 2017

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ephedrin

Rated 22 Nov 2017

A bunch of 1st world problems which are effects, suburban people life. Dark humor, prejudgment etc. Got potential but screenwriter keeps it lite.

Rated 22 Nov 2017

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medinavi

Rated 26 Nov 2017

Cok fazla konuya temas etmek istiyor ve bunu da cok iyi beceriyor fakat ister istemez bazi yerlerde filmin ana akisindan kopuk skec vari sahneler de var. Cok etkileyici ve rahatsiz edici. Finalde orta yolcu davranmamasi da ekstra puan.

Rated 26 Nov 2017

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igormachete

Rated 17 Sep 2017

Maybe it's the fact that I've missed the first 25 minutes, but I was never fully engaged with the movie. It was never boring, but nothing more than just some funny and clever scenes

Rated 17 Sep 2017

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maakal

Rated 20 Dec 2017

Bizarre and wonderful, the scene which features on the poster was one of the greatest I've seen in a long time. This is the kind of absurd film that gives you a lot to think about, and talk about afterwards.

Rated 20 Dec 2017

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Matthew Parkinson

Rated 24 Sep 2017

The Square is a weird movie, but I dug it. If you're open to off-kilter projects, it is worth your time.

Rated 24 Sep 2017

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edward

Rated 28 Jun 2018

This is what happens when a screenwriter just starts typing away with no outline and no editing. This film is both intentionally and unintentionally absurd. The commentary and comedy style is very specific to Swedish culture, which an outsider might find dull and pretentious.

Rated 28 Jun 2018

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Carlospro

Rated 29 Jan 2018

o vídeo é maravilhoso

Rated 29 Jan 2018

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Neonman

Rated 01 Jan 2018

Masterfully directed and boasts some of the most curiously nail-bitingly intense sequences of the year, plus it's edited to perfection. It's far less linear and a lot more mosaic than Force Majeure, with some very dramatic story-strands ending suddenly with no follow-up, yet it's not a stretch to piece all this together and get a clear idea of what seems to a reasonably upsetting portrayal of modern day responsibility gone awry.

Rated 01 Jan 2018

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comepelicula

Rated 05 Apr 2018

Very good, the acting is incredible and I really like the abstract and surreal details, they give a dream like effect and a connection to the subject which is quite unique.

Rated 05 Apr 2018

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AnttiR

Rated 05 Dec 2017

I laughed a lot while watching this. Basically this is a long nightmare of a 30-something art curator. But, some scenes are too much sketch comedy, and all characters except the main character are one sided. Criticism of the art world most of the conservatives would relate to.

Rated 05 Dec 2017

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Pratchett3

Rated 02 Mar 2018

felt kind of scattered, didn't grab me as much as I thought it would

Rated 02 Mar 2018

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mrt.dlgc

Rated 18 Feb 2018

I couldn't understand what the director exactly did but the movie made me forget that I was sitting in a room with people watching the movie, which is an extremely rare occassion considering the simple attempts of others to break the so-called fourth wall. What Östlung did was to break the screen and allowed us inside his movie.

Rated 18 Feb 2018

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brrrp

Rated 19 Feb 2024

It's very possible that a much better movie is in here somewhere, waiting to be properly edited. As it stands there is so much to like, and so much promise, but often fails to deliver on those promises. It's a bit frustrating to witness such an incredible visual presence, but they keep dropping the ball. In an odd way, appropriate companion piece to Trust ('90) which I just watched, although more evident is an apparent fixation on turn of the century Haneke.

Rated 19 Feb 2024

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cagedwisdom

Rated 28 Aug 2017

Just like that, Ruben Östlund went from one to watch to one of my favorites. The Square is fantastic, solid all the way down. Beautifully shot.

Rated 28 Aug 2017

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medikolayn

Rated 12 Feb 2018

it doesnt say anything new.

Rated 12 Feb 2018

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chadisdanger

Rated 21 Jan 2018

This has flashes of brilliance; some of the most memorable and compelling scenes I've seen in any film this year (Terry Notary's scene in particular is something else), some terrific performances and the same ruthless satirical edge Östlund showed in Force Majeure, taking on the world of high art and upper class indifference. It also works really well as a character study despite it's sprawling episodic structure. It's also way too long, and uneven by design, but a compelling film nonetheless.

Rated 21 Jan 2018

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capodelnulla

Rated 01 Feb 2018

ilgi çekici fikirleri olmasına rağmen yapabileceklerinden fazlasına yeltenmesi ve bunları hayli dağınık biçimde ortaya atması anlatı açısından fazla sorun çıkartıyor. gayet iyi başlıyor olsa da uzun süresi bir noktadan sonra anlatının dağılmasıyla boğuyor. yergiyi övülemeyecek kadar rahatsız edici biçimde kuruşu özel bir başarı ama film ve anlatı olarak hırsının işaret ettiğiyle olduğu arasında ciddi fark var.

Rated 01 Feb 2018

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Duder

Rated 12 Mar 2018

This one definitely needs a second watch. Powerful at times, really funny at times, thought provoking at times, and a really good film overall. But it does have some extra bits that I couldn't place. The message is good, character development is good but some scenes did not add anything to the film, was just there for the message, which is something I don't like that much.

Rated 12 Mar 2018

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ABUNCHOFCATS

Rated 09 Mar 2018

An impressive if slightly too long follow-up to Force Majeure.

Rated 09 Mar 2018

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notitle

Rated 21 Feb 2018

Haneke and Bunuel meets with Roy Andersson.. Very good film.

Rated 21 Feb 2018

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TamCam

Rated 22 Feb 2018

A film that holds up the mirror to its presumably well-educated audience: The irony of exhibiting an artistic safe space while ignoring people in need on a daily base is delicious. Östlund makes his audience feel self-conscious and uncomfortable on an ethical, but also physical level. A challenging movie for all artsy people out there.

Rated 22 Feb 2018

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