TRIANGLE OF SADNESS gets 9/10 No filter
Directed by Ruben Östlund
Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Woody Harrelson
9/10
It’s hard to recommend a film like this, despite the immensity of its craft, how awfully hilarious it is, and what a stunning work it is in developing a tale of our human follies when we’re both up and down. But let’s just say that you’ll need a strong stomach, mostly for the middle sequence of the film (where sick bags might be necessary). Triangle of Sadness has a hugely provocative angle that it wholly and audaciously commits to, all the while seeming less cynical than it lets on and more concerned with being a startlingly fun event.
Model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and influencer Yaya (Charlbi Dean) are a couple who have their heated arguments over money, but that doesn’t stop them from taking a high class luxury cruise on a super yacht, visited by the wealthiest of the area. We see how the cabin crew are strongly urged by their head of staff Paula (Vicki Berlin) that they must offer their visitors the most consummate experience and they shall not refuse any service they demand, which leads to awkward interactions between the two.
The elusive captain of the yacht, Thomas (Woody Harrelson), keeps to himself in his cabin, only to emerge for the disastrous Captain’s dinner scene (this is the moment of the film where you may want your sick bags). Writer-director Ruben Östlund has proven himself to be an enfant terrible provocateur, as glimpsed in the awkwardness of Force Majeure and then seen more prominently in the assaultive nature of The Square. But in his fifth feature here, he decides to go all out, simply for the visceral effect it’ll have.
And yet, along with this thoroughly disgusting on-screen content, there’s still a very steady hand at the helm of how these elite are presented. The film doesn’t merely shit all over them and leave it at that. The film is considerate with how it regards class relations, especially in the film’s “Lord of the Flies” final third, where the elite and the working class are (somewhat) put on an equal level. It’s in this section where we see a more universal sense of how people act when brought back down to a primitive level, and it affects them all, no matter what their life was like on the yacht.
Triangle of Sadness is an extraordinary film that’s a hoot to watch, and is sure to generate all sorts of conversations as it’s an immensely probing film into our modern world’s obsession with status (real or perceived).
DAVID MORGAN-BROWN
Triangle of Sadness plays at UWA’s Somerville Auditorium from Monday, January 2, to Sunday, January 8, 2023. For more information and to buy tickets head to perthfestival.com.au