What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Square
Ruben Östlund · Film · 2017
If you loved The Square, start with The White Lotus (Mike White, 2021) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Square across media.
If you loved The Square, you likely crave stories that dissect human hypocrisy and institutional absurdity with a sharp, uncomfortable wit.
Books on the same thread
The Man Without Qualities: A sort of introduction. The like of it now happens (I)
Robert Musil · Book · 1953
Explores: Existential ennui, Decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Epistemological crisis.
Like The Square, this novel explores the intellectual pretension and societal decline of a crumbling elite, mirroring the curator's existential crisis through a dense, satirical lens on modern life.
The Suicide
Nikolaĭ Ėrdman · Book · 1979
Shares 2 threads with The Square: Bureaucracy, Social Commentary.
This work shares the biting bureaucratic satire found in The Square, focusing on how personal misery is co-opted by opportunistic social forces to serve wider, often absurd, public agendas.
Watchmen
Alan Moore · Book · 2009
Shares a thread with The Square: Social Commentary.
The Square examines the collapse of moral frameworks in high society, a theme echoed here as flawed individuals navigate the ethical ambiguity of a world losing its structural integrity.
The Trial
Franz Kafka · Book · 1992
Shares a thread with The Square: Bureaucracy.
If the suffocating bureaucracy of The Square left you uneasy, you will recognize that same sense of inescapable, illogical systems forcing individuals into moments of profound, personal moral reckoning.
Series on the same thread
The White Lotus
Mike White · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with The Square: Privilege.
This series captures the same cringe-inducing collision of privilege and class conflict present in The Square, exposing the hollow, performative kindness of wealthy individuals in curated, high-status environments.
Squid Game
Hwang Dong-hyuk · Series · 2021
Shares a thread with The Square: Social Commentary.
The Square highlights the cruelty hidden beneath civilized social contracts, a theme pushed to its extreme here as desperate participants are forced to navigate lethal, morally bankrupt social games.
The Thick of It
Armando Iannucci · Series · 2005
Shares a thread with The Square: Bureaucracy.
The Square lampoons the posturing of cultural gatekeepers, and this series offers a similar, fast-paced takedown of the incompetence and spin that define the corridors of modern institutional power.
The Wire
David Simon · Series · 2002
Shares a thread with The Square: Bureaucracy.
While the setting shifts to crime, this show shares the interest of The Square in how self-sustaining bureaucracies override individual ethics and create systemic crises for those involved.
Podcasts on the same thread
Terlalu Over
Podcast
Shares a thread with The Square: Social Commentary.
This podcast digs into the specific art world dynamics that frame The Square, providing a deeper look at the actual cultural institutions that breed such unique, high-minded social satire.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
These cinematic stories mirror the experimental, morally ambiguous tone of The Square, offering short, sharp observations on the human condition that challenge your perception of right and wrong.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is the central premise of The Square?
The Square follows a prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator who experiences a professional and personal crisis. The narrative centers on his attempts to organize a controversial new exhibit at the museum while his life begins to unravel.
Is The Square directed by Ruben Östlund?
Yes, The Square is a 2017 film directed by Ruben Östlund. It focuses on the life of an art curator managing a high-profile museum exhibit during a period of significant personal and professional instability.
Does The Square take place in Stockholm?
Yes, the plot of The Square is set in Stockholm. The story revolves around the chief art curator of a prestigious museum located in the city as he navigates the challenges of launching a controversial new exhibit.
What themes are explored in The Square?
The Square explores the professional and personal crisis of a museum curator. The film examines the pressures of his role as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit, leading to complications in both his career and his private life.