New Showbiz

You are here:
The Square

The Square

2017

R

Director

Ruben Östlund

Runtime

151 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

6.3/10

Good

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The film depicts a cosmopolitan Stockholm social circle where non-heteronormative identities exist within the art world. While these identities are not the central plot engine, their presence reflects a realistic, progressive urban landscape.

Gender Representation

Good

The narrative disrupts traditional hierarchies by focusing on the friction between Christian and Ebba. Ebba is portrayed with significant professional agency, highlighting the instability of interpersonal power dynamics.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

The 'Square' art installation serves as a metaphor for curated diversity, attempting to create a multi-ethnic microcosm. The film explores the performative nature of how institutions integrate varied ethnic backgrounds.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The film offers a profound critique of Western bourgeois institutions and capitalist structures. It portrays traditional pillars, like the family unit, as fragile or inherently performative.

Disability Representation

Fair

Disability is not a primary narrative driver. While the film depicts psychological distress and social chaos, it lacks specific, agentic representation of neurodivergence or physical disability.

Strengths

  • Sophisticated critique of institutionalized morality and capitalist-driven social hierarchies.
  • Nuanced exploration of how identity and class influence human behavior.
  • Strong engagement with themes of performative justice and systemic hypocrisy.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lack of specific, agentic representation for neurodivergent or physically disabled characters.
  • LGBTQ+ and racial identities are often secondary to class and professional status.
  • Limited focus on specific queer narratives beyond general social presence.

AI Analysis

The Square is a sophisticated social satire that excels at deconstructing the friction between egalitarian ideals and the selfish impulses of the elite. It uses its setting to examine how performative justice can mask systemic hypocrisies within high-status professional tiers. The film's strength lies in its intellectual engagement with progressive themes. It avoids easy answers, instead exploring how identity, class, and systemic structures influence behavior in a postmodern landscape. However, the film's focus on the liberal elite means that many representations, such as LGBTQ+ and racial diversity, are often defined more by class and professional standing than by specific, lived narratives. Disability representation remains minimal and lacks agency.

How are these scores produced? →

Featured in

Rate this Movie

No rating selected
Use arrow keys to select a rating from 1 to 5 stars
Optional text review, maximum 2000 characters
Tip: Wrap spoilers with ||double pipes|| to hide them
0/2000 characters
You must be signed in to submit a rating

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie!

Use the rating form above to leave a star rating and optional review.