The Square

The Square is preceded by about an 11 minute short called: Spider. It perfectly sets the tone for The Square, exhibiting 'shit happens' as well as impending doom. The Square follows the escapade of Raymond Yale (David Roberts) and Carla Smith (Claire van der Boom). They're lovers, but both are married. Carla tells Raymond her husband has a large bag of money in the house. They scheme and burn down the house after stealing the money, so that it will be assumed that the money was burned in the fire. From this point onward everything that can go wrong does go wrong. To the point of absurdity characters go off the deep end, retreat into their corners, and then shoot up an entire building. The Australian Edgerton brothers share direction and writing credit. They have a strong color palette, the grey and gloom well enunciated. There's nothing particularly wrong with The Square except that it isn't wildly creative or original. The talents of the Edgerton's should have been focused upon an original story--like the one they dream up in Spider. The Square is still a fine film, but their talents extend further and their next venture should be something to look forward to. David Roberts is especially good in a nuanced performance, and he elevates the film from a dark and well done film to a dark, well done, and strangely intriguing one.
The Square: ★★★1/2