THE SQUARE (15)

SWEDISH film-maker Ruben Ostlund does indeed play with madness in his Oscar-nominated satire The Square, a jawdropping celebration of the weird and the wonderful that defies categorisation and will amuse audiences as much as it bamboozles them.

Museum director Christian (Claes Bang) is determined to make a PR splash with his temple of contemporary art so he conceives an interactive installation called The Square.

Inside the performance space, visitors are encouraged to behave kindly and responsibly. This experiment in the innate goodness of human nature takes an unexpected turn when an enterprising pickpocket pilfers Christian’s mobile phone and wallet inside The Square.

The museum director uses tracking software to exact revenge but this rash act of retaliation has unforeseen consequences for Christian and the people around him including famous artist Julian (Dominic West) and TV interviewer Anne (Elisabeth Moss).

The chaos escalates at a patrons’ dinner inside the museum where a renowned performance artist called Oleg (Terry Notary) takes method acting to the limit as he roams among the wealthy guests in the guise of an untamed gorilla.