Art has always been a means of speaking truth to power by holding a mirror up to society, specifically through commentating on the bourgeois – the wealthy upper class. This is especially true through the means of satire.
The correlation between satire and commentary on the wealthy elite has been common throughout cinema history, with films from Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 biting satirical work “Weekend,” to Brandon Cronenberg’s psychedelic body horror flick “Infinity Pool” being examples of this. A prominent example of this was when filmmaker Bong Joon-ho was awarded the coveted Palme d’Or for his film “Parasite” – a film that is an excellent commentary on the class struggle – at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
More recently, another filmmaker – Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, who has become prominent on the arthouse circuit for his satirical works such as 2017’s “The Square” – was the winner of the Palme d’Or at last year’s festival for his latest film, “Triangle of Sadness,” which utilizes satire through the means of a disastrous cruise voyage.
Written and directed by Ruben Östlund, “Triangle of Sadness” is a film centered around the privileged, with the central focus of the film being on Carl and Yaya, a celebrity fashion model couple whose relationship – as shown in the first thirty minutes – is somewhat rocky.
They are invited onto a cruise, amongst a group of uber-wealthy passengers. This includes a scene of one of the passengers, Vera, ordering one of the crew members, Alicia, (played by Alicia Eriksson in her film debut) to take a swim, which ends up being the catalyst for the cruise taking a catastrophic turn, as soon as she asks for every crew member to take a swim.
As Yaya, the late Charlbi Dean gives a truly excellent performance. With scenes such as her argument with Carl in the first act of the film and scenes on the desert island, it is a showcase of someone who was a true star in the making.
Zlatko Burić’s supporting performance as Dimitry, a Russian oligarch, is quite good. A highlight of Burić’s performance is in the drunken debate that he has with the captain about communism and capitalism, through the usage of quotes and citations of writers and politicians.
Woody Harrelson is good as Thomas Smith, the reclusive alcoholic captain of the cruise, who is relatively calm throughout one chaotic evening.
Easily the standout performance out of the cast is from Dolly de Leon, who portrays Abigail, a cleaning woman on the cruise who becomes the leader of the group of passengers after everyone ends up being marooned on a desert island. In this Lord of the Flies-esque scenario, the meaning of class is evaporated. De Leon’s embodiment of this character through the determination and assurance of Abigail, as her power grows because of her knowledge of fishing and fire-making, are elements of why her performance is good.
As for the screenplay and direction of the film, Ruben Östlund captures a unique addition to satire film. For instance, there is the opening sequence which features a group of male models (including Carl) being prompted to show their expression on whether a product is from an affordable brand like H&M, or a luxury fashion house like Balenciaga — described by the fashion director as either a grumpy brand or a smiley brand.
This showcases one of the central themes of the film, the upper class’s obsession with materialism, along with aspects of narcissism and reliance on self-image (such as in a scene with Carl taking a picture of Yaya with her bowl of food for her Instagram, or Chris being jealous when Yaya smiles at a crew member). There is also the centerpiece of this scathing satire, the Captain’s Dinner, where a nonstop barrage of scatological humor ensues.
Regarding the soundtrack, several great needle drops are interspersed throughout the film. For example, there is the unique opening title sequence utilizing M.I.A.’s “Born Free”, with the fast-moving credits being interspersed with brief shots of models having paint either thrown or sprayed on them.
There is also Modjo’s iconic track of the French House genre “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)”, one of 2022’s best usages of non-diegetic sound. It is featured as the backing track in the sequence where the character of Jarmo (Henrik Dorsin) is introduced, a lonely tech mogul who wants his picture taken with Yaya and Ludmilla. Along with this, there is the prominent use of “Marea (we’ve lost dancing)” by Fred Again and The Blessed Madonna, in the final act of the film.
“Triangle of Sadness” is a pitch-black satirical examination of privilege and narcissism, with an unexpected final act and an excellent cast. It is a showcase of why Ruben Östlund is one of the most unique filmmakers working today.
