The Square

Review

I know the guys at Twitch love the Edgertons brothers and their collective, Blue Tongue Films (They also have another movie called Animal Kingdom, another crime movie that is getting rave reviews). But to be honest, the only thing that I have ever seen out of the famed Australian duo is a little violent and poignant film called Spider.

The Edgerton brothers first real feature film feels familiar but fresh at the same time. The Square is essentially a neo-noir, following all the troupes and conventions of a noir film but with a contemporary setting. The film follows Raymond Yale (David Roberts), an ordinary contractor who supervises the construction of a honeymoon hotel. Aside from his affair with a neighbor, Carla (Claire van der Boom), his life is pretty ordinary. Everything inevitably changes when Carla and Ray stumble on a bag of cash that offer the promise of a new life. The couple plots to get away with the money, but then everything starts to spiral out of control rather quickly.

Ray and Carla are not innocent, they are well aware of their actions and their mistakes. While their struggle to be happy together is something that we, as an audience, sympathize with, these people are definitely flawed. As the film unravels, the actions of both characters become more and more questionable. One thing that justifies their actions throughout the film is this world that the Edgertons have managed to conjure up. Ray and Carla live in a very threatening, claustrophobic world. Everybody knows everybody, and everybody is pretty violent or unstable. Almost every single character that you come across in the film is on the verge of exploding in a violent rage. This kind of stuff makes you grit your teeth when you watch Ray fumble his way to get away with the money.

The script is tight, the directing and cinematography are slick and modern, and the acting is actually quite phenomenal. I have to give props to Joel Edgerton, who plays Billy, a pyromaniac who is struggling for his own redemption.

Nash Edgerton, the director, definitely has a very distinct style in his treatment of violence and humor. The film has such an ambiguous boundary between the two that they ultimately blend together into one morally wishy-washy world. How Nash treats violence is definitely fascinating. In no way does it feel forced, or out of place. The existence of violence in the film is somewhat entirely justified as a very natural occurrence in the Edgertons’ world, which makes the film scarier and more disturbing.

The Square, to me, is almost a perfect movie. It’s funny, it’s poignant but not pretentious, and it’s just plain good. Not to mention it’s a lot of fun.

The Square opens April 9th in New York, it’ll be playing over at the Landmark Sunshine Theater. The Square will play together with the short film, Spider, during its upcoming run. Also, check out the other stuff that the people at Blue Tongue films are up to, they have another film called Animal Kingdom that’s worth checking out.

Originally written for IN*TANDEM Magazine.