Film features of Swedish director Ruben Östlund and 7 film samples

Ruben Östlund is a Swedish writer and filmmaker who has received international acclaim for his provocative and thought-provoking films. The Swedish director who never hesitates to be “tough” on his audience and makes highly disturbing films such as Force Majeure and The Square; He also made his audience squirm with his latest film, The Triangle of Sorrow. This famous director, who won the Palme d’Or twice and the Jury Prize at Cannes, and was nominated for three Oscars at the Academy Awards, also has an interesting directorial style and life story. Let’s look at the details together.

The life and directorial style of Ruben Östlund

Saying: “I discovered cinema quite late”, the young director was born on the island of Stirsø, Sweden. The director, who in his youth was fond of seasonal work in ski resorts in the Alps, first encountered professional cameras while working there. Östlund, who says he started filming here and that he gained experience filming ski films in the ski resort, made his feature film debut in 2004 with a mongoloid guitar, but in 2014 he made his debut in the black comedy Suits. tells the story of an internationally acclaimed luxury ski resort in the Alps.

His film Force Majeure won the Jury Prize after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Östlund’s next film was The Square, a 2017 art world critique. Awarded the Palme d’Or (Palme d’Or) for this second feature film to compete in the Cannes competition, Östlund has become an increasingly recognized director.

He won the Palme d’Or with his Triangle of Sorrows, which began with a shipwreck on a luxury yacht where only the richest 1% of the world can enjoy its privileges. The 2022 Cannes Film Festival honored the master director once again with the award that Östlund received for The Square in 2017. And again with the same film; It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Östlund, who approaches gender roles and class struggle from a non-traditional perspective in his politically satirical writing, often uses elements of black humor in doing so. For example, in The Triangle of Sorrow, the audience was shown one of the longest scenes in the history of cinema. “I actually stated up front that in the script I was going to go 10 steps ahead of what the audience expected of me,” Östlund said on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast last week.

“When I was 25, I first got involved with the history of cinema. Of course, I’ve seen some examples before, but that’s when I got interested.” speaks. “I’m slowly becoming a cinephile. Gradually, I began to respect the work of my colleagues and understand their skills. But it’s late for me, so I’m still discovering great films.”

You can also view this article: 10 directors from the heart of Sweden

1. Guitarmongot (2004) – IMDB: 6.1

The genre of drama “Guitarmongot”, the first feature film directed by Ruben Östlund, won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival.

A portrait of a 12-year-old boy with a passion for writing and performing punk songs, adult men playing with guns, and a neurotic woman happily wanting to destroy herself… A picture of everyday life in Sweden that you’ve never seen or heard before.

2. Bank Incident / Incident Bancarie – Bank Incident (2010) – IMDB: 6.9

This 2010 action comedy, which stands out among Ruben Östlund’s short films, won the Golden Lion for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. This work, which was also shown at the Sundance Film Festival, is considered one of the debut films of Ruben Östlund.

In Stockholm in June 2006, two friends; Suddenly, and right in front of their eyes, they witness two masked men get off their motorcycles and make an unsuccessful attempt to rob a bank. A small crowd, stunned by this event, watches in broad daylight as two incompetent and ignorant robbers fail in this bank robbery where everything suddenly goes wrong.

3. Forced / De Offrivilliga – Forced (2008) – IMDB: 7.0

Described as a “tragicomedy or comic tragedy”, Involuntarily, directed by Ruben Östlund, won numerous international film awards and was also nominated for an Oscar. Upon its Un Certain Regard premiere at Cannes, Forced received generally positive reviews from critics.

Almost every summer in Sweden you can see frivolous and inappropriate behavior on the streets. Leffe loves to show off and make dirty jokes with his friends, especially when drunk. The honest primary school teacher doesn’t know where to set her boundaries: she insists that her fellow teachers need some direction. One of two teenage girls who love to pose and party for daring photos, a complete stranger finds her drunk in a park one night.

4. Square – Square (2017) – IMDB: 7.1

The Square is a 2017 critical black comedy film written and directed by Ruben Östlund. The film stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West and Terry Notary. The Square, which grossed $8.5 million despite its $5.5 million budget, won the Palme d’Or, the biggest award at Cannes, as well as 6 European film awards, including Best Film.

Successful, confident and glamorous in his impeccable suits, Christian, respected chief curator of X-Royal, Stockholm’s contemporary art museum, knows how to enjoy the good life. However, Christian, the victim of an elaborate pickpocketing scam, collapses as he decides to take a rather unorthodox route to recover his stolen property. And, mistake after mistake, the desperate art connoisseur is doomed to do the opposite of what Square stands for in order to correct this unfortunate situation. Under these conditions, is the Square nothing more than an ugly simulation of a rapidly deteriorating social reality?

5. Play – Game (2011) – IMDB: 7.1

Play is a 2011 Swedish drama film directed by Ruben Östlund. The film, which was widely discussed in the Swedish press due to its content, won the Scandinavian Council Film Award in 2012. A film that is controversial about whether it is a racist production or not owes its brutal depiction of real life … The performance, which received a film award and a nomination at the Cannes Film Festival, a Grand Jury Prize and Best Director at the Tokyo International Film Festival, received an award.

This film is based on real cases of bullying in Gothenburg, Sweden. Between 2006 and 2008, a group of boys aged 12-14 robbed other children more than 40 times. And instead of physical violence, they did it, giving the impression that this is a game and a gang.

6. Force Majeure – Tourist (2014) – IMDB: 7.2

Suit, a 2014 black comedy film written and directed by Ruben Östlund, received critical acclaim for its writing and cinematography. Winning Best Film at the local Swedish Guldbagge Awards, it was named one of the best films of 2014 by various film magazines. The film was filmed in the ski resort of Les Arcs in Savoy, France; This is a special work for the director as it incorporates the cinematic knowledge and experience that Ruben Östlund acquired at the ski resort where he works.

A Swedish family travels to the French Alps for a few days of skiing and enjoying the moment. From the moment they see the view of the magnificent slopes, the sun gently shining above them, they begin to believe that everything will be fine. But their faith doesn’t last long when an avalanche turns everything upside down while they dine at a mountainside restaurant.

While everyone is running away, Ebb’s mother, trying to protect her children, calls her husband Thomas. But at this very moment, Thomas, far from his parental consciousness, rushes to save his life. The expected disaster did not happen, but some important feelings for the family were shaken to the ground, especially Thomas has a question mark.

As Thomas desperately tries to regain his role as head of the family, Thomas and Ebba’s marriage is now in shambles and their children know it. Add to their discussion their friend Mats, who divorced at the same age, and his much younger girlfriend Fanny, who is twenty years old; Everything will get pretty messy.

7. The Triangle of Sorrow – The Triangle of Sorrow (2022) – IMDB: 7.4

Triangle of Sorrow is the first English-language feature film by Ruben Östlund, a 2022 black comedy starring Harris Dickinson, Charlby Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Henrik Dorsin, Vicki Berlin and Woody Harrelson. The film, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, received an eight-minute standing ovation and was awarded the Palme d’Or.

Although the film received generally positive reviews, De Leon’s performance in the film was praised, earning him his first Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his supporting role. In addition, this production, which won four European Film Awards, including Best Picture, was also nominated for three awards at the 95th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Despite its $15 million budget, the $25 million film was also heavily viewed digitally.

Forced to learn to live with wounded male pride after a bad choice that severely undermined her career, young model Carl argues all night with successful influencer model/friend Yaya. As he continues this relationship, where money is a sensitive issue, Carl begins to realize that he is fighting a losing battle.

These modern relationships, which continue to exist with insecurities, fragile egos, and masterful manipulations, are full of uncertainties. After a while, their fights between Yaya and Carl begin to soften, and Yaya takes Carl on a luxury yacht cruise to spend time with the ultra-rich. But this time they will face the opportunity to realize that life will not be as easy for them as it seems. Soon a violent storm begins rocking the multi-million dollar yacht back and forth like a seesaw, and an accident occurs that will spell disaster for their journey. The surviving passengers wake up to find themselves stranded on a desert island and what they face is literally a fight for survival.

This is where our article ended, we hope to see you in the articles of the new director about cinema…

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