TIFF '22: "Triangle of Sadness" Review
A hilarious and occasionally graphic continuation of the recent "eat the rich" picture pantheon.
Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, and Vicki Berlin in the Palme D’Or-winning satire “Triangle of Sadness.” (NEON)
Ruben Ostlund’s Palme D’Or-winning masterpiece Triangle of Sadness is a continuation of the ongoing recent pantheon of “eat the rich” pictures (i.e. Hustlers, Parasite, Knives Out, Us, etc..). One that’s as subtle as a sledgehammer when it comes to its message about greed and capitalism being poisonous, but still remains an entertaining and rather twisted ride.
When the film begins, we’re first introduced to model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and his wealthier influencer girlfriend Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean) who join a luxury cruise as they try to solve their relationship problems. As the trip progresses, things quickly take a turn for the worst once a storm starts brewing and the passengers experience sickly troubles during a captain’s dinner. An eventual shipwreck causing a handful of passengers to be marooned on a desert island and a dynamic shift between the elite and undervalued crew members only furthers everyone’s troubles.
As previously noted, this movie is quite a trip. One still made engaging thanks to the biting dialogue from Ostlund’s screenplay as well as the purposely dizzying camerawork from DP Fredrik Wenzel. Particularly, his cinematography during the captain’s dinner scene which, as a fair warning, might not be for the squeamish.
The acting ensemble is also in pretty splendid form. Harris Dickinson, who previously wowed viewers with his bravura turn in Beach Rats, is fairly well-utilized as an insecure himbo model while Woody Harrelson shines in his small role as the ship’s disgruntled, philosophy-spewing captain in a way one can typically expect Harrelson to wow us. However, the one performer whose star shines brightest is Dolly de Leon. de Leon is the picture’s tragicomic heart and soul as the cruise’s toilet manager Abigail. Once her character takes center stage in the third act, de Leon becomes the “captain of the entire ship.”
Because I fear going further into the film will lead to potential spoilers, it’s best to not only recommend seeing Triangle of Sadness but to see it with a theater crowd. Obvious as it may be with its class inequality commentary, it still gets the message across in its own uniquely twisted way.
Grade: A-
Triangle of Sadness is currently screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and comes out in theaters on October 7th.