Triangle of Sadness: LFF Film Review
Ruben Östlund won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for the second time earlier this year for his biting social satire Triangle of Sadness and it’s abundantly clear why – the movie is terrific.
The black comedy, Östlund’s first English-language film, is told in three chapters. The first introduces us to our leads, models Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean), before launching into the central chapter – the cruise. The models get a free trip on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich and things go horribly, horribly wrong. The final chapter depicts a survival situation and a new hierarchy between the guests and staff.
I enjoyed this movie immediately because Carl’s modelling audition at the start is so well-observed and hilarious and it’s closely followed by a scene in which he and Yaya bicker over gender roles and who is expected to pay at a restaurant. I absorbed the dialogue in that scene like a sponge because it was so relatable and spot-on. The script is astute, smart, razor-sharp and funny as hell.
Östlund has many genius ideas and a lot to say about the ultra-rich, influencers and capitalism and he doesn’t hold back – this film falls well and truly into the “eat the rich” subgenre. This comes to the fore in the cruise chapter, where the entitled guests wield their power over the poor service staff. They eventually get their comeuppance in the most spectacularly gross way – the film’s standout, stomach-churning dinner sequence, which features lots of vomit and other bodily fluids. When you think it can’t get any more disgusting, it does! I’m not a big fan of toilet humour but it was still amusing to watch and certainly very memorable.
I must admit that I lost my patience with the film in the third chapter. Östlund flips the stereotypical survival situation on its head and puts a woman, Abigail (Dolly de Leon), who was a member of the yacht staff, in charge because she is the most capable and resourceful. It was interesting seeing this new structure unfold and I understood Östlund’s point but the chapter went on too long and I felt a little bored and ready for the ending.
All the performances are excellent here. It’s worth noting that the film’s biggest name, Woody Harrelson, is only in this briefly as the drunk captain of the cruise. It’s a fleeting appearance (which is a shame) but he’s always good value.
Despite my reservations about the third chapter, I thoroughly recommend Triangle of Sadness. The majority of the film is absolutely brilliant.
Seen as part of the London Film Festival. In cinemas from Friday 28th October