The Square (2008)
Nash Edgerton has his first go behind the camera as director of The Square . Written by the director’s brother Joel Edgerton & Matthew Dabner, this Australian film is a black comedy with plenty of mystery, intrigue & by the seat of your pants action.
The film begins with the audience being introduced to three couples. First, there’s building & construction manager Ray (David Roberts) & his socially egotistic wife Martha (Lucy Bell). Their marriage is shaky, Ray is having an affair & when Martha finds out there is hell to pay.
Carla (Claire Van Der Boom), is having the affair with Ray, she works as a hairdresser & is game to be cheating on her husband, Smithy (Anthony Hayes), who is a local thug with a 1980’s mullet & one short fuse. All Carla wants is to run away with her lover and live happily ever after. Smithy has a bagful of cash from a recent robbery stashed away in the roof of the house, & against his better judgment Ray joins her in a scheme to get hold of the loot.
To do so, they have to enlist a second local crook, Billy (Joel Edgerton), a low-life arsonist who shares Smithy’s fashion sense but not his fearsome nature. Billy’s housemate & confidant is Lily (Hanna Mangan-Lawrence), his skittish little sister. I initially mistook these two for another pair of lovers, but since Mangan-Lawrence is just 16, I’m happy to stand corrected.
Throughout the film, Ray’s decisions turn from bad to worse, the plot keeps you guessing, there is just the right mix of humour, the characters intriguing & the acting is superb. The Square is an Australian film which is not only very well made but entertaining as well.
Article written by Steve Elias
Tags: anthony hayes , australian film , Claire Van Den Boom , David Roberts , Hanna Mangan-Lawrence , Joel Edgerton , lucy bell , Matthew Dabner , Nash Edgerton , The Square , the square (2008)