Nash and Joel Edgerton Think Outside the Box with "The Square"

Marital infidelity is far more common than people care to admit, and "The Square" shows some of the potentially deadly consequences that come with being unfaithful. "The main character definitely is having a bit of a nightmare," said Nash Edgerton, director of "The Square," via telephone. "It shows how bad things get when you stray."

Nash Edgerton works on both sides of the camera

Best known for his stunt work on films such as "Superman Returns" and the upcoming "Knight and Day," Edgerton also is quite skilled behind the camera. A few years ago, he wrote directed and co-starred in an eye-opening short called "The Spider." The tag line for that film-"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye"-describes the plot perfectly.

Like "The Spider," "The Square" is generating lots of buzz. In this dark drama, Raymond Yale (David Roberts), a married construction foreman, makes a series of very bad choices about his life and marriage. "I see Ray as a bad chess player, thinking only one move at a time," Edgerton said. "He should be thinking several moves ahead."

Middle-aged and caught in a routine marriage, Ray has an affair with Carla (Claire van der Boom), a neighbor living down the road. Throughout the movie, though, Edgerton gives no indication that Martha Yale (Lucy Bell) is a bad wife. "I didn't want to make her (Martha) a nagging wife. Ray and his wife simply have fallen out of love at some point," he said.

"The Square" refers to the Raymond Yale character

The Raymond Yale character also appears to be a perfectly normal, even boring, husband when the audience first meets him. Ray turns something as mundane as walking the dog into a way to carry out his affair with Carla. "Ray really is the square, conservative guy," Edgerton said, making reference to the film's title.

Edgerton also said that credit for "The Square" belongs to his brother Joel, an actor and a screenwriter. After finishing work on the screenplay, Edgerton cast Joel as Billy, a shady character that Ray asks for help. "I thought he (Joel) was the right guy to play Billy," he said. "When things don't go exactly as planned, Billy becomes justifiably angry."

Working with his brother, Edgerton follows Ray's journey from a regular guy and husband to a man who will do just about anything to cover up his personal sins. "It ("The Square") was a pretty clever idea. Every decision that Ray makes is feasible, but then he does something like take a kickback at work," Edgerton said.

"The Square" will be opening in more markets on Friday, May 14. Check your local art house listings to see if they will be showing "The Square."