The Square with Director Commentary

”The Square” has finally made its way to the states and luckily enough I was able to catch one of the shows hosted by the OCSWA that included a quickie Q & A with the Stuntman turned Director Nash Edgerton. If you haven’t heard of the flick, it involves the titillating combination of a love affair, accidental death and quick,easy money.

While the plotline is interesting enough, the delivery of the film is what makes it shine and stand out among the others of its genre. Instead of the tired and tried tension you most often find in dark bloody love affair films,”The Square,” dishes out palpable tension that left my stomach in knots even after the credits had rolled. Needless to say the film exceeded my expectations.And not only is it exciting to see a new talented Director, it’s even more brilliant to hear them speak with a laid back, unpretentious air and love for their work.

One of the most compelling components of the film was the development of the lead character Raymond and his transition through guilt, love, fear and ultimately survival. Edgerton commented that when dealing with realistic characters “nothings black and white” and this truth was emphasized throughout the film, making the character scenes just as jaw clenching as any other. This and many other elements gave the entire film a rather realistic approach and when questioned about his overall aesthetic the Director commented that he does prefer, “doing things generally dark” and favoring a more “realistic aesthetic that allows an audience to experience a film,” rather than just view it. This was noticeable with the ease of the film, which didn’t rely on quick paced, choppy editing, and useless showy shots.

Another refreshing quality was the fact that the plotline wasn’t spoon fed to the audience, and the pacing was ideal and didn’t result in all too often lazy, last twenty minutes of information dumping, where plot holes suddenly come together with clear determination. Luckily Edgerton admits to being “a stickler for plot” and lets us know that “the clues are all there,” on the screen. And they were! Overall the film gave me a thrill I haven’t received in quite some time. So, thanks Edgerton! What’s in store next for the Director, I’m not sure, yet when asked he admitted to “writing and working on something untitled” with his brother. Until then, I suggest checking out his shorts on YouTube (Spider and Lucky are great to watch) and heading out to the theater to experience the dark thriller yourself. You won’t regret it.

P.S. For all you film geeks, the film was shot in Super 16 with 24 days of principle photography.