The Square
Christian is the respected curator of a contemporary art museum, a divorced but devoted father of two who drives an electric car and supports good causes. His next show is "The Square", an installation which invites passersby to altruism, reminding them of their role as responsible fellow human beings. But sometimes, it is difficult to live up to your own ideals: Christian's foolish response to the theft of his phone drags him into shameful situations. Meanwhile, the museum's PR agency has created an unexpected campaign for "The Square". The response is overblown and sends Christian, as well as the museum, into an existential crisis.
The film earned $9.5M at the global box office.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 33 wins & 46 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Square (2017) showcases carefully calibrated narrative design, characteristic of Ruben Östlund's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 31 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Christian
Anne
Oleg
Michael
The Boy
PR Agency Lead
Main Cast & Characters
Christian
Played by Claes Bang
Chief curator of a prestigious contemporary art museum who becomes embroiled in moral crises after his phone and wallet are stolen, forcing him to confront his own hypocrisy and class privilege.
Anne
Played by Elisabeth Moss
An American journalist who interviews Christian and becomes romantically involved with him, serving as a mirror to his contradictions and emotional unavailability.
Oleg
Played by Terry Notary
A performance artist hired for a provocative dinner event who takes his animalistic persona to terrifying extremes, embodying primal chaos that disrupts civilized society.
Michael
Played by Christopher Laesso
Christian's loyal assistant at the museum who becomes complicit in the morally questionable scheme to retrieve Christian's stolen belongings.
The Boy
Played by Elijandro Edouard
A young immigrant boy from the apartment building who becomes the target of Christian's threatening letters and later confronts him demanding an apology.
PR Agency Lead
Played by Dominic West
One of the young marketing consultants whose viral video campaign for "The Square" exhibit spirals into a scandal that threatens the museum's reputation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Christian walks through Stockholm's affluent streets as a successful museum curator, embodying the privileged, comfortable world of contemporary art and liberal values he inhabits.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 18 minutes when Christian's phone and wallet are stolen in an elaborate street scam in broad daylight, violating his sense of security and control in his carefully curated life.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 37 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Christian and Michael drop the threatening letters into mailboxes of an entire low-income apartment building, crossing an ethical line by collective punishment - an act that directly contradicts the values of "The Square" he's promoting., moving from reaction to action.
At 76 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The viral marketing video for "The Square" is released, showing a homeless girl being blown up. Christian sees it and realizes the campaign has gone too far, but the video has already been published - a false victory (successful publicity) that will become a disaster., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 112 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Christian is forced to publicly apologize and resign from the museum due to the viral video scandal. His career, reputation, and the carefully constructed identity he's built all die in this moment of professional and personal humiliation., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 119 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Christian has a revelation: he must apologize to the boy he falsely accused. He writes a genuine, heartfelt apology letter, finally taking real moral responsibility rather than hiding behind institutional power., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Square's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Square against these established plot points, we can identify how Ruben Östlund utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Square within the comedy genre.
Ruben Östlund's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Ruben Östlund films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Square represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ruben Östlund filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Ruben Östlund analyses, see Triangle of Sadness.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Christian walks through Stockholm's affluent streets as a successful museum curator, embodying the privileged, comfortable world of contemporary art and liberal values he inhabits.
Theme
During the museum meeting about "The Square" installation, the artist explains it as "a sanctuary of trust and caring" where everyone is equal - establishing the central theme of moral responsibility versus self-interest in modern society.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Christian's world: his prestigious position at the museum, his relationship with his daughters, the upcoming "The Square" exhibition, and his interactions with the art world elite.
Disruption
Christian's phone and wallet are stolen in an elaborate street scam in broad daylight, violating his sense of security and control in his carefully curated life.
Resistance
Christian debates how to respond to the theft. With his colleague Michael, he tracks his phone to an apartment building and makes the morally questionable decision to distribute threatening letters to every apartment demanding the return of his belongings.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Christian and Michael drop the threatening letters into mailboxes of an entire low-income apartment building, crossing an ethical line by collective punishment - an act that directly contradicts the values of "The Square" he's promoting.
Mirror World
Christian has an awkward encounter with Anne, an American journalist, beginning a relationship that will serve as a mirror to his moral compromises and inability to genuinely connect with others.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - satirical exploration of contemporary art world hypocrisy. Christian navigates absurd marketing strategies for The Square, awkward encounters with Anne, and performance art provocations, all while maintaining his facade of moral superiority.
Midpoint
The viral marketing video for "The Square" is released, showing a homeless girl being blown up. Christian sees it and realizes the campaign has gone too far, but the video has already been published - a false victory (successful publicity) that will become a disaster.
Opposition
Multiple forces close in: the viral video causes public outrage; Christian is harassed by a young boy from the apartment building demanding an apology; the disastrous gala performance art piece where an actor portraying an ape terrorizes guests; Christian's moral compromises accumulate.
Collapse
Christian is forced to publicly apologize and resign from the museum due to the viral video scandal. His career, reputation, and the carefully constructed identity he's built all die in this moment of professional and personal humiliation.
Crisis
Christian sits in darkness processing his downfall. He confronts the emptiness of his values and the consequences of his actions, particularly his treatment of the innocent boy he wrongly accused.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Christian has a revelation: he must apologize to the boy he falsely accused. He writes a genuine, heartfelt apology letter, finally taking real moral responsibility rather than hiding behind institutional power.
Synthesis
Christian attempts to deliver the apology but cannot follow through, leaving the letter in the building's recycling bin. He returns to his apartment where his daughters are, the moral question left unresolved in true Östlund fashion.
Transformation
Christian lies in bed staring at the ceiling, fundamentally unchanged despite everything. The ideals of "The Square" - trust, caring, equality - remain as distant and abstract as they were at the beginning. His privilege protects him even in failure.