Tense and tight Aussie noir with relatable characters, recognisable locales and a pull no punches approach that gives your solar plexus a genuine workover.
Ray (David Roberts) is a contruction site foreman, carrying out an affair with neighbour Carla (Claire van der Boom) because meeting up to consummate your illicit desires in a hatchback seems a particularly Aussie thing to do. The pair plan to steal away for a new life together, with Ray opting for a shady kick back scheme and Carla pressuring Ray to enact a far riskier alternative, pilfering a stash of stolen money from Carla's hair-triggered, mullet toting boyfriend Smithy (Anthony Hayes). When a communication mishap with arsonist Billy (Joel Edgerton) fouls up their plan, the tension continues to mount to a near unbearable breaking point for the pair.
The Square eschews the usual good natured 'ocker' humour of Aussie cinema and in doing so never undersells the tension of Ray and Carla's situation. It is funny, but not in the usual manner, more so in the shock of their situation continously spiraling further and further out of control, allowing the audience the briefest of brief 'did that really happen?' laughs, before the next shocking escalation occurs.
The cast are all really solid and just super relatable people that we, as Australians, all know. I've definitely met a Ray. He's not bad so much as....trapped. David Roberts plays the simmering tension so well, especially when try as he might, he just can't get that concrete laid. He is also able to perfectly capture that invisible wall that exists between an office bloke trying to interact with a tradie, even when you are the 'boss' there is always a gulf, that makes people like the Peter Phelps character here so important. Claire van der Boom is a likeable femme fatale lite, while she has her subtle ways of scheming, it is in response to a Ray who will never pull the metaphorical (and literal) trigger needed for their life together to progress. Anthony Hayes is absolutely recognisable as Smithy, the short-fuse bogan about to blow. He would make a good double-act with Daniel Henshall as both are so well able to capture the toxicity and aggression laying underneath our Aussie larrikin persona.
The Square was the directorial debut of stuntman/actor/brother-of-Joel Nash Edgerton who is a mainstay of the Aussie film industry, most recently as director and executive producer of the excellent FX/Binge series Mr Inbetween.
Tense and tight Aussie noir with relatable characters, recognisable locales and a pull no punches approach that gives your solar plexus a genuine workover.
Ray (David Roberts) is a contruction site foreman, carrying out an affair with neighbour Carla (Claire van der Boom) because meeting up to consummate your illicit desires in a hatchback seems a particularly Aussie thing to do. The pair plan to steal away for a new life together, with Ray opting for a shady kick back scheme and Carla pressuring Ray to enact a far riskier alternative, pilfering a stash of stolen money from Carla's hair-triggered, mullet toting boyfriend Smithy (Anthony Hayes). When a communication mishap with arsonist Billy (Joel Edgerton) fouls up their plan, the tension continues to mount to a near unbearable breaking point for the pair.
The Square eschews the usual good natured 'ocker' humour of Aussie cinema and in doing so never undersells the tension of Ray and Carla's situation. It is funny, but not in the usual manner, more so in the shock of their situation continously spiraling further and further out of control, allowing the audience the briefest of brief 'did that really happen?' laughs, before the next shocking escalation occurs.
The cast are all really solid and just super relatable people that we, as Australians, all know. I've definitely met a Ray. He's not bad so much as....trapped. David Roberts plays the simmering tension so well, especially when try as he might, he just can't get that concrete laid. He is also able to perfectly capture that invisible wall that exists between an office bloke trying to interact with a tradie, even when you are the 'boss' there is always a gulf, that makes people like the Peter Phelps character here so important. Claire van der Boom is a likeable femme fatale lite, while she has her subtle ways of scheming, it is in response to a Ray who will never pull the metaphorical (and literal) trigger needed for their life together to progress. Anthony Hayes is absolutely recognisable as Smithy, the short-fuse bogan about to blow. He would make a good double-act with Daniel Henshall as both are so well able to capture the toxicity and aggression laying underneath our Aussie larrikin persona.
The Square was the directorial debut of stuntman/actor/brother-of-Joel Nash Edgerton who is a mainstay of the Aussie film industry, most recently as director and executive producer of the excellent FX/Binge series Mr Inbetween.
