“«I never want to have any in-between scenes that are only there to tell the plot. If I have these scenes I think I’ve failed a little bit as a director.» Östlund explained that his mission is to make movies full of interesting, stand-alone scenes that highlight human behavior.
«It’s about the bystander effect. The reason we don’t have the ability to take responsibility in situations like that is because we are herd animals and we get scared, and when we get scared we get paralyzed. And we’re thinking, don’t take me, don’t take me, take someone else.» said Östlund.
«These people that in the beginning were sitting in tuxedos and eating their nice, fancy dinner, I wanted them to be uncivilized animals in the end, I think that the most uncivilized thing about our time is the collective rage against individuals that are acting uncivilized. Isn’t that the scary thing about us?» said Östlund about the monkey-man scene.” (imdb.com)
The Square is monumental, I’m in awe of its intricate story of human hypocrisy and its gentle regard of it. Its density of meaning.