Yes, The Square has an adulterous affair, a bag of money, a construction site and teeming rain — all the de rigueur components for noir thrillers.  But Aussie filmmaker (and former stunt man) Nash Edgerton directs his first full length feature with crisp pacing, effectively placed shocks and just the right amount of humor.

Raymond Yale (David Roberts) is in a passionless marriage, but is having an affair with Carla (Claire van der Boom) a younger woman married to blue collar Greg (Anthony Hayes). Greg and his poker buddies are up to something, evidenced by the bag of cash Carla finds in their house. “It is cash. It can’t be decent,” she tells her lover, suggesting they take it and run away together. “That is why taking it is a bad idea,” Ray replies. But the two seem to really care about each other, and Ray tries to engineer a fire to cover the theft. The arsonist (Joel Edgerton, who also co-wrote the screenplay) gets a little scary when something goes wrong.  Ray is also having trouble at the construction site and someone is blackmailing him. The pressure is mounting and the suspects are numerous.

Grey haired David Roberts gives an appropriately measured and understated performance as the low key Raymond Yale. Ray rarely raises his voice and his calm demeanor suggests an average nice guy. He is likeable, but we do not know him that well. We root for him, but only a little. His affair with the younger and poorer Carla has some steamy moments, but neither of them seems to be especially manipulative. Yes, she urges him to take the bag of cash, and he initially resists the idea, but he doesn’t need much convincing. Ray seems to want to make the moral choice, but death seems to follow him. Young and pretty Carla works at a beauty salon, and seems quite different than the usual heartless and conniving femme fatale. Claire van der Boom’s Carla is unhappy in her marriage and tired of waiting for her married lover to leave his wife. She genuinely wants to be with Ray. Joel Edgerton is scary, compelling and strangely likeable as volatile Billy, whose perplexing relationship with his very timid girlfriend Lily (Hanna Mangan Lawrence) might be just as interesting the relationship between Ray and Carla.

Some are already comparing director Nash Edgerton and his brother Joel to those other filmmaking brothers-the Coens.  As director Edgerton noted during a Q&A after the preview screening, it is both a compliment and a bit too soon for that comparison.   But these filmmakers show lots of promise.  Edgerton provides plenty of mood as the characters in The Square celebrate a warm weather Christmas outdoors and encounter torrential downpours, dark and winding roads and muddy construction sites. Edgerton builds tension slowly, and then provides blood and shocks when you least expect them. Some shocks are integral to the plot and some have nothing to do with the plot, but all of them made me jump. But despite, or perhaps because of, the tension, there are moments that induce laughter.  And this combination makes The Square all the more fun.

 The Square is being shown in most theaters along with Spider, Edgerton‘s 2007 short.  The less than 10 minute short is terrific; funny, scary and a good introduction to The Square. Spider begins with a quote from “Mum” — “It is all fun and games until someone loses an eye.”  When the Edgertons are involved, losing an eye is just the beginning.

The Square.  Directed by Nash Edgerton.  David Roberts (Raymond Yale) Claire van der Boom (Carla Smith), Anthony Hayes (Greg ‘Smithy’ Smith) Joel Edgerton (Billy), Lucy Bell  (Martha Yale), Hanna Mangan Lawrence(Lily) and Bill Hunter (Gil Hubbard). Apparition, 2010.  

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

Tweet  Print This Post

Tags: Gail sees a movie, movies // Add Comment »