Movie Info
Movie Name: Triangle of Sadness
Studio: Imperative Entertainment/Plattform Produktion/Film i Väst
Genre(s): Drama/Comedy
Release Date(s): May 21, 2022 (Cannes)/October 7, 2022 (US)
MPAA Rating: R
Seems like strong, non-problematic relationship that can weather anything…
Upon a luxury yacht for the ultra-rich, influencers and models Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) are finding their relationship is changing. When the yacht suffers multiple disasters and sinks, the survivors find themselves trapped on an island…and all the rules of society are over turned as money loses meaning and survival becomes the only valued commodity.
Written and directed by Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness is a social dark comedy. The film won Palme d’Or and was met with both praise and controversy. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and the Criterion Collection released a version of the film (Criterion #1178).
The trailers and promotions for Triangle of Sadness were wild…and with a movie that is so divisive, I almost always favor it. Triangle of Sadness is a good movie in the lines of Parasite and The Menu.
Yacht life rocks!
The movie is about power, control, class, and sex. It takes a bit to get going, but the beginning is important to setting up the relationship between Yaya and Carl. On the boat the rich have the power, but on the island, the power belongs to Abigail who can survive. It quickly devolves to tribalism and everyone is forced to fight for survival. Abigail gains the power and everyone has to cater to her. The fact that the power struggle doesn’t last long shows what is really important…but sex of course ruins it all.
The cast is good. The movie starts out primarily being about Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean. Dean tragically died before the release of the film and it is a shame because she gives a great performance and shows a lot of skill as an actor. Woody Harrelson is the American “known” star, but his role is rather small (but still important). The scene stealer has to be Dolly de Leon who is barely a blip on the ship portion of the film but literally shapes the whole last part of the film.
Don’t worry, Abigail…you’ll be able to work for someone again and live your dream of being subservient
The film also looks very good. It does a great job in style and visuals to portray the gap in wealth. Between the luxury food and the construction of the ship, even within the ship workers there is classism. The film takes a completely different style and look once it gets to the island. It loses the beauty and glamor which exists in the first half.
The battle of class is a hot topic right now and movies like this are the scream. Like the other class based movies, the movie is pretty extreme, and the people who it is targeting probably won’t see it or understand it…it is preaching to the choir. The ending of the movie is a bit ambiguous, but a resolute ending wouldn’t make sense either because there is no end to this “war”…and the triangle of sadness is growing.
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