Goodfellasz What an amazing movie, if you ever want to learn the story of the Arab spring in Egypt and its after match, than you must go see this movie.the documentary mostly made up out of material shot by protesters tells the intense story of the Arab uprising in Egypt, Cairo.Told by a youngster one can only show admiration for how persistent these men and women fought for their freedom, at the same time it shows the after match of this revolution.Sadly enough this movie didn't win the Oscar (which it should have won). Told by real bystanders and shot by bystanders this gives a very dramatical and realistic image of the uprising, a must see for everyone.

l_rawjalaurence THE SQUARE is a raw, uncompromising documentary charting the Egyptian revolution that began with the overthrowing of Pressident Mubarak, and continues to this day. President Morsi was elected and overthrown; and the people are perpetually at war with one another. The film tells the stories that have often been neglected with the reporting of the conflict in the western media. Using five different people of different ages and different backgrounds as their subjects, director Jehane Noujaim shows the spontaneity of the so-called "Arab Spring" - it began as a popular movement among young people and continues in similar vein to this day. They are not only frustrated with the established forces of government, as well as the army, but they are searching for a more democratic form of living. Despite repeated - and often violent - attempts to suppress them, their will to resist remains unshakable. The film includes several violent sequences attesting to the brutality of the army's treatment of the revolutionaries. What gives THE SQUARE its true originality, however, is its refusal to be constrained within western-inscribed intellectual boundaries. Revolutions are supposed to be decisive, with one government supplanted by another; this film shows that the revolution in Egypt is a long one, and is still by no means concluded. The actor Khalid Abdalla, one of the main protesters, makes this point; after two years, certain reforms have been achieved, but the protests need to continue long-term. Revolutions are also supposed to be about ideology - the Russian Revolution, for instance, helped usher in communist rule. In Egypt, as with other countries in the region, the protesters don't necessarily have a coherent ideology (even though their concerns are obviously ideological); they are just looking for a form of government in which their voices can be heard. And perhaps most importantly, the subject-matter of THE SQUARE is not just about Egypt, but can also apply to other countries who have experienced similar protests - Tunisia, Syria and Turkey. If filmgoers want to learn more about the consequences of the so-called "Arab Spring" (a term which has been embraced by the west, but seems to me misleading), they should watch this film. Essential viewing.

joihargrove12 I am writing this review on the documentary The Square. WHAT AN AMAZING FILM!! I really loved it I think they (Revolutionist) were brave people to fight for their freedom and speak their minds. The camera work was great just everything was very powerful. I feel that it got very intense when I got farther into the documentary and all the more exciting. I really liked it. It also was sad at times but I still loved it. I don't understand why this wasn't more publicly expressed. This should be an important part of history TWO THUMBS UP! Everyone should be required to see this film, this bravery, this story. "We are not in search of a leader...we are in search of a conscience."

gavin6942 A group of Egyptian revolutionaries battle leaders and regimes, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience.The Chicago Tribune described this film as "A compelling inside look at the cascading series of revolutions and counterrevolutions that have shaken Egypt since the beginning of 2011." Further, the Washington Post called it "elegantly shot and structured, but infused with rough, spontaneous energy; global in its consciousness but intimate in its approach; carefully pitched but emotionally wrenching; deeply troubling but ultimately exhilarating." I am not going to disagree with either of those assessments. The film is important and impressive for how it mixes the local and the international. No film up for an Oscar this year has more importance than this one, as it shows the spark that triggered the Arab Spring. But it also gets to the details, showing the factionalism, and mixed opinion on the Muslim Brotherhood and military.Foreign affairs are challenging for Americans, and it is easy to lump Egyptians into one category in our minds. We may each have a different label, but few of us really know what life in Egypt is like. This film takes us there, presenting a political process and democracy that is just as vibrant -- in some ways more so -- than in the United States.Aside from the film itself, there is also the interesting distinction that this is the first Oscar nominee distributed by Netflix, as well as the first funded by Kickstarter. Neither of these things should have a bearing on the way we (or awards shows) see the content, but it offers a message that the way films are financed and distributed is changing rapidly. Thanks to streaming internet, more people can see this film today (February 2014) than they ever could before.Because of its global importance, this film has every right to the Oscar. And if winning means even more people see it, I hope that happens. But it will be an uphill battle, as "Act of Killing" seems to be the front runner. Regardless, any film that lets Americans see the rest of world as it sees itself is well worth spreading.