Interview: Ruben Östlund, The Square

It only occurred to me recently that I never did any writing about Force Majeure, that delightfully gelid, darkly comic Swedish parody of manhood; it’s a great film, as in truly great, as in not just “better than good” but “outstanding.” (So I guess it’s an outstanding film. Look, shut up.)

Anyways: This occurred to me leading up to my conversation with Ruben Ostlund, the genius filmmaker who directed Force Majeure. We spoke not about that film, but about his new film, The Square, which isn’t quite as immediate a home run as Force Majeure; it has a broader focus, and this lends itself to a sense of sprawl. All the same, it’s superb, and I suspect will only grow in my esteem as I rewatch it.

Long story short, Ostlund and I talked, I recorded our talk, and then I transcribed that talk for publication at Slant Magazine. Maybe I should have led with that.