The Square (2017)

Winner of the Palme d'Or in 2017, The Square is a fascinating experience. It wasn't what I had expected at all, and as I've mentioned before that tends to be an exciting and prosperous thing for the viewer. Set in Stockholm and focusing on an art curator, Christian, who struggles with personal issues throughout the films two and a half hour running time, most notably the theft of his mobile phone and an affair with a journalist (an excellent Elisabeth Moss). It's difficult to describe beyond that but the thing that works so well about The Square is the several different ways in which the viewer can interpret what's being shown on the screen. The film almost feels like you're watching a live art installation unfold before your eyes, and it's to director Ruben Östlund's great credit that this works so well, sucking you into the Stockholm art world that at points is utterly bonkers. One scene in particular (depicted on the film's poster/ DVD cover), set up as a piece of live art is so scintillating that you can hardly take a breath as it unfurls in front of you. It's perhaps a tad over stretched at two and a half hours, but it certainly doesn't drag at any point; the ideas are so refreshing that the film works both as a piece of live art and a feature film. It also includes a terrific small cameo by Dominic West, a man who I love to bits. 7.9/10