Ruben Östlund didn’t reach the top immediately. Nevertheless, his recent work proved he is a master. His career is a perfect example of gradual success. First, he made short and not-so-successful full-lengths. However, each film was better and better, and now he is one of the most significant directors. Östlund is certainly authentic.
Even though a Scandinavian filmmaker, he is different from Trier and Vinterberg from the Danish Dogme 95 movement. He is also radically contrasting from another Danish maestro, Nicolas Winding Refn. Not because he is Swedish, but because his style is vastly different.
Before I delve into his career path, let’s address his beginnings.
The Beginnings of Ruben Ostlund
Ruben began making skiing videos for his friends while working at ski resorts in the Alps. These videos helped him start working for a local production company. He later studied at the Gothenburg film school. Interestingly, Ruben got accepted based on his skiing movies. As Ridley Scott would say, “If you have a vision, you can make a movie even about a pen.”
Filming skiing follows him through his career since one of his best movies, “Force Majeure,” happens in a winter vacation place. Even though his beginning wasn’t easy, Ostlund continued to work and create his style.
It was undoubtedly worth it since no one in today’s cinema uses satire as well as him. However, it didn’t happen overnight, so let’s see his career path.
Ruben Östlund’s Film Career Path
Ostlund’s first two fiction movies, “The Guitar Mongoloid” (2004) and “Involuntary” (2008), were well-accepted but weren’t extremely successful. Don’t get me wrong, they’re very interesting movies but far from his finest work.
However, his third fiction, “Play,” is undoubtedly a masterpiece. It’s based on real bullying cases where the main characters are boys aged 12-14. Aside from the story, another reason this film is excellent is that it perfectly addresses people’s inner racism. No viewer would stay ignorant of this movie and many would look inside themselves, even a little bit. Ruben is truly positively laughing at ourselves, a filmmaking style for which he is a maestro. Once he made “Play,” it seems like he found his niche and hasn’t made a bad movie since.
Ruben also made good short movies, such as “Incident by a Bank,” “Let the Others Deal with Love,” etc. After “Play,” Östlund made “Force Majeure,” “The Square,” and “Triangle of Sadness,” in that order. All of them were a massive success and he became one of the most important directors of our time.
This success brought him worldwide acknowledgment and prestigious awards while he was also a jury member or president at A-level film festivals like Cannes. He even received the King’s Medal in Gold in 2020 for his important contribution to Swedish film.
Now, let’s rank Ruben Ostlund’s movies.
Ruben Östlund Movies
Even though not all as successful, Ruben Ostlund movies are worth the watch, especially his four latest. Nevertheless, here’s a list of the best Ruben Ostlund movies so far:
- Family Again (Familj igen) – 2002
- The Guitar Mongoloid (Gitarrmongot) – 2004
- Involuntary (De ofrivilliga) – 2008
- The Square – 2017
- Force Majeure (Turist) – 2014
- Play – 2011
- Triangle of Sadness – 2022
It’s good to watch all of them if you genuinely want to discover his work.
Ruben Östlund Awards
Here’s a list of some of the most significant awards and festivals where Ruben Ostlund movies have been nominated for or won:
- Academy Awards
- Berlin International Film Festival
- BAFTA Awards
- Cannes Film Festival
- European Film Awards
- Chicago International Film Festival
- Bodil Awards
- César Awards, France
- David di Donatello Awards
- Satellite Awards
- Moscow International Film Festival
- Palm Springs International Film Festival
- Stockholm Film Festival
- Sundance Film Festival
Final Thoughts on Ruben Östlund and His Films
Ostlund is undoubtedly one of the most significant film directors today. Audiences wait for his next film impatiently, and rightfully so. Luckily for us, the Ruben Ostlund new movie is already in production, titled “The Entertainment System Is Down.” This time he makes a comedy with Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, Connor Swindells, etc. Since he already has used comic elements in previous films, it would be interesting to see what Ostlund’s comedy will look like.
If you like satire or satirical movies, you should watch all of Ruben Ostlund films, especially his four latest. Satire is only one layer of his masterpieces since there are many of them. Ruben creates films that touch your soul and entertain but also make you think.
Whether you start with the “Force Majeure” movie or the “Triangle of Sadness,” you won’t make a mistake. And if you want to read about other filmmakers and discover intriguing movies, feel free to read my blog posts!
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