Getting back into the swing of going to the movies and sitting down to write about them has been great. I feel a bit out of practice, but the time away may have been for the best. Triangle of Sadness packs a prolific satirical punch and I can see why it’s being considered by many to be Ruben Östlund’s finest work.
A pair of influencers are gifted tickets to an extravagant cruise on a private yacht for the super-wealthy and their flippant vanity collides with old money entitlement in spectacular fashion when the cruise ventures into a dangerous storm.
I had such a great time watching this in the theater and I am going to try my best to convey that but I think the “less is more” approach will be best suited here.
I can see why Ruben Östlund won the Palme d’Or for this at Cannes 2022. His film is provocative and relentless in its assault and, to use a painting analogy, even though there are prominent colorful splashes that capture your attention there is a great deal of intricate brushwork that defines the connective tissue of the canvas.
In Östlund’s tear-down of the wealthy elite, we are first introduced to a young man at a modeling audition. There’s a camera crew and an interviewer playfully gutting the elitist brand identity of designer brands like Balenciaga. As the camera closes in on the face of one of our leads, Carl (played by Harris Dickinson), there is a profound emptiness behind his eyes. As he pivots between the happy/joyful looks associated with cheap brands and the scowling/vacant stares of the expensive name brand, Dickinson does a masterful job wrestling with the vacuous nature of his work. It’s a borderline self-loathing look that’s quite the intro to the character and the story, and I can see why Dickinson has had such a good year.
We next meet Yaya (played by Charlbi Dean), Carl’s also-model girlfriend, as they get into an argument about who is paying while out to dinner at a nice restaurant. While they dig into the intricacies of who should be paying, and why, Carl is trying to figure out whether or not she’s even remotely genuine. We learn it’s not exactly about the money and as the argument spills over into the taxi and later into the hotel room, Yaya finally lets turns off her protective shield. Dean is particularly great at this moment as she gives birth to a lot of the unspoken truths surrounding their relationship and likely many others.
Östlund curated the cruise experience with hilarious detail. I laughed A LOT during this movie and it’s not the punchline-driven schtick that’s become the norm for many “comedies” these days. It’s mostly just good character design and situational humor. Okay, there’s an egregious amount of filthy toilet humor too but who says I can’t enjoy both?
This all comes to a head at the Captain’s Dinner where the alcoholic Captain, played marvelously by the one and only Woody Harrelson, and his debauchery delayed the event until right in the middle of the storm front that he was repeatedly warned about. He stands with his co-captain Darius (played by Arvin Kananian) leaning against the sway of the ship, like one of those old V8 commercials as the guests obliviously file in. That’s the brilliance in the writing that I am talking about. Östlund has defined the parameters for the arrogance of his wealthy passengers to the point where even the most obvious signs don’t dissuade their indulgence. Naturally, that all ends in spectacular and disgusting fashion.
There are many fantastic performances in the cast, but Dolly De Leon stands out. Her character Abigail is the primary beneficiary of the power structure’s collapse, as she went from cleaning toilets to making all the decisions in a hurry. She isn’t even introduced (IIRC) until the third act, but Östlund still gives her a complete character arc and the payoff is excellent. De Leon and her character both take over the film when they get their chance.
Vicki Berlin is awesome as well playing Paula, the ship’s first mate I suppose. On the cruise, she has some power as the staff manager but she is still beholden to the hierarchy of rank aboard the vessel. That hierarchy is removed and she thinks she has power but is quickly broken like a disobedient pet. Berlin plays the trajectory so damn well that it’s easy to both like or dislike her.
The other primary performance that commands your attention is that of Zlatko Buric playing Dimitry, a self-professed shit salesman who made his fortune in fertilizer after World War II. It’s hard not to like him because he is so charismatic and he also lacks the kind of pomp associated with the other wealthy folks we meet. His wealth buys him a seat on that cruise more than anything else and he’s the epitome of capital excess.
I tried my best not to spoil anything but probably didn’t stick the landing. The more I sat with this film, the more I liked it and it’s one I look forward to seeing again soon.
Recommendation: If you still have a chance to see this in theaters, do it. It’s the kind of comedy experience that’s meant to be seen with an audience.
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