For those with a White Lotus (and Succession) shaped hole in their hearts, we thought we’d recommend Ruben Ostlund’s satirical black comedy, Triangle of Sadness, as sort of a methadone for those craving more rich-people-being-terrible content.
The film – which not only received an eight-minute standing ovation at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, but also took home the Palme d’Or – essentially poses two age-old questions: a) What intrinsic value do the 1% actually offer, and b) If push came to shove, would these members of society’s most privileged echelon be capable of adapting/surviving based on their own merits?
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Triangle of Sadness primarily follows the insecure male model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and his influencer girlfriend Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean). The glamorous couple are invited to enjoy a luxurious cruise aboard a thriving metaphor of a superyacht where class structures are immediately evident.
At the top, you have the likes of brash Russian oligarch/shit merchant Dimitry (Zlato Buric) and completely tone deaf wife Vera (Sunnyi Melles) – the latter of whom, at one stage, orders every crew member to cease working and have a go at the water slide purely for her enjoyment masquerading as an act of benevolence.
Then there’s Winston (Oliver Ford Davies) and Clementine (Amanda Walker), boomers from Great Britain who made their fortune manufacturing weapons with a guilt-free detachment from the suffering they inflict upon the world; and lonely tech billionaire Jarmo (Henrik Dorsin).
In the middle, we have the eccentric and drunken recluse of a yacht captain Thomas (Woody Harrelson), along with executive crew members like Chief Stew Paula (Vicki Berlin). We’ll also lump the hanger-ons like Carl and Yaya here, who have essentially punched their tickets by using superficial beauty and a considerable social media following as the currency of choice.
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And at the very bottom, we have a legion of nameless workers, represented solely by ship mechanic Nelson (Jean-Christophe Folly) and Filipino cleaner Abigail (Dolly de Leon). The latter of these two characters plays a central role in the events to come.
When pirates hijack the hulking leisure vessel – but not before a hellacious storm results in what is perhaps the greatest/most hilariously unflinching cinematic sequence of the year (projectile vomit, diarrhoea, and all); achieved though practical effects a la Christopher Nolan’s rotating corridor scene from Inception – Abigail, Carl, Yaya, Dimitry, Paula, Jarmo, and a disabled ship guest named Therese find themselves stranded on an island.
Very quickly, it’s apparent who brings any tangible benefit to the table and who are total deadweights. With the previously accepted hierarchy completely flipped upside down, a whole lot of comedy, and a whole lot of social commentary, begins to unfold.
There will invariably be moments where audiences may find the dialogue rather heavy-handed. Maybe even a touch preachy. All in all, however, this is definitely among the most genuinely compelling flicks we’ve seen in 2022 that’s certainly worth your time.
Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle of Sadness is now streaming on Binge – check out the trailer above.
