Triangle of Sadness

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (15)

D: Ruben Östlund

Lionsgate / Curzon / Imperative / BBC / Film I Väst / 30 West / Essential Films… (Erik Hemmendorff & Philippe Bober)

Swe/Ger/Fra/UK 🇸🇪🇩🇪🇫🇷🇬🇧 2022

147 mins

Comedy/Drama

W: Ruben Östlund

DP: Fredrik Wenzel

Ed: Ruben Östlund & Mikel Cee Karlsson

Mus: Mikkel Maltha & Leslie Ming

Harris Dickinson (Carl), Charlbi Dean (Yaya), Dolly de Leon (Abigail), Zlatko Buric (Dimitry), Iris Berben (Therese), Woody Harrelson (The Captain)

Following on from his previous satire, 2017’s ‘The Square’, writer-director Ruben Östlund brings us another satire where the balance between plot and symbolism is geared towards the latter.

This time, his target is social hierarchy with this unconventional narrative where a group of super rich elites and celebrities are on a luxury liner, living the high life until fate flips everything on its head.

The story mostly follows a pair of social media influencers, Carl and Yaya, who are amongst the guests, bickering constantly about gender inequality, amongst other things. 

The story really comes into itself when an explosion on the ship sees a handful of the guests and staff members wash up on a deserted beach, where a lowly toilet cleaner becomes the matriarchal leader of the group, as she is the only person with practical knowledge of basic survival skills.

It really is an intelligent piece of work, but will certainly divide audiences due to its unorthodox style and narrative flow. The film was nominated for 3 Oscars, including Best Picture, which I believe was fully deserved, as it is one of the best and most original films of the year, albeit one which is best watched on an empty stomach.

8/10