Triangle of Sadness Review
This film was, fittingly, a boatload of fun. If you don't see it in a packed theatre, you're missing out. This wasn't some 'laugh along to fit in' crap. Every cringe, laugh and cry came from the audience as one. If it can get a dry chuckle out of Cannes it’s doing something right.
But is Triangle of Sadness just another addition to this decade's vain social comedy bargain bin? Satires like Don't Look Up came off as insultingly one note, and The Menu, while fun with mates, was unfortunately too predictable to be anything special. Luckily, Ruben Östlund’s latest epic is leagues ahead in both comedy and style. What sets this director apart from Adam McKay and his progeny is the man’s manic but thoughtful storytelling.
In Triangle of Sadness, Östlund weaves an outlandish tale centred around an eccentric yet believable upper-class, who are invited to a luxury cruise in the hopes of boosting its popularity. But alas, this isn't Triangle of Happiness. For these socialites are soon sent into disarray with such speed and precision, that when Russian oligarch Vera's 'all play, no work' attitude overturns a massive domino in the long line of disasters, your popcorn's at the ready. You're dreading the outcome but strangely eager to watch the ensuing shipwreck.
And what a glorious shipwreck it is. Never has a director so perfectly captured grossness, abject horror, and laughter simultaneously. After all, with no cooks to cook for them, no cleaners to clean up their messes and no captains to ship them round, the rich are no smarter than cavemen. And while it's a struggle to forgive its slowness in the third act, no one moment detracts from the film's perfect ending.
I was one of the lucky few to see Triangle during a special screening at the Cinema Nova where, over Zoom, Östlund himself answered questions from the audience. Now, I'm not the type to remember quotes on command, but Ruben, my man, if I get anything wrong feel free to DM me and we'll work something out. Not that I'll be waiting at the phone with bated breath or anything...
He was able to share a few insights with the audience, delving into the development of the script and production of the film.
Here are some highlights and takeaways:
Characters are seldom shown talking to each other. When model couple Carl and Yaya are out to dinner, shots are held with no reverse shots for reactions or responses. This is a constant in the film. Depending on who our 'in group' is, we are held on them until a new action or scene switches our focus. Östlund said he likes to stretch shots for as long as humanly possible. That first dinner scene had hours of extra footage and was still a fair bit longer when it came to the test screenings. Testing like this allowed him to come to the final rhythm of the film. Östlund notes that his previous works have endured the same treatment.
However, I think Triangle of Sadness uses these held shots for a different, more thematic purpose. Every character's reluctance to talk with one another is amplified by these long takes. Instead, it shows a willingness to talk through each other.
As a satirist, Östlund, while interested in heightened worlds bordering on farce, is keenly aware that an empirical knowledge of humanity is not enough. A great satire must, to some degree, have empathy for its clowns. Otherwise, the audience is just laughing at cardboard. It's this willingness to give ideas and characters levels, to have different shades in yellow and red instead of bright orange, that makes the film so stimulating. Östlund spoke of the infestation of branded couples in the fashion industry, a relationship screen deep. So, if Carl and Yaya were the only couple fitting that description, the film would've been lumped in with the other scab picking class satires. But when we look at the other passengers, we find something deeper. Modelling and social media aren't the only cesspools around. Russia parades around their shit selling oligarchs and Britain shuffles out their war hungry arms dealers to all play on the Love Boat. If one human is all it takes to make shit palatable, why not add another for good measure. After all, love can sell both war and makeup by the shelf load. What makes Östlund's satire great is his willingness to see humans behind his eccentric characters and his humility to recognise that everyone has the capacity to be vapid.
Triangle of Sadness is the best rich white people satire of 2022 and while the waves get choppy close to the end – albeit to pad out a spectacular ending – hopefully you'll leave sick with laughter instead of chuck.
Thanks to the Melbourne University Film Society for publishing.
