Movie Review: 'Triangle of Sadness' Provokes Conversation

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Directed by Ruben Ostlund

Written by Ruben Ostlund

Starring Woody Harrelson, Harris Dickinson, Charibi Dean, Zlatko Buric

Release Date October 7th, 2022

Published October 18th, 2022

I always feel like I am not one of the cool kids when I fail to love a movie that others have hailed as a masterpiece. That's unfortunately, how I feel about the Cannes Film Festival winner Triangle of Sadness. Triangle of Sadness is director Ruben Ostlund's latest examination of toxic privilege. After targeting gender roles in Force Majeure and the pretension of the art world in The Square, Ostlund's prime target this time is a group of very, very, VERY rich people aboard a cruise ship which sinks and leaves several very rich people at the mercy of the elements on a deserted island. I can see where the satire is but it never registers as funny for me.

Is Triangle of Sadness supposed to be funny? I'm honestly not sure. I know I didn't laugh at any point in Triangle of Sadness though I was slightly amused by moments of it. So, if the point isn't humor, what is the point of Triangle of Sadness? Is it merely about pouring puke and feces all over very rich people in a very rich person environment? That certainly does happen in Triangle of Sadness but I don't think it provides a point beyond how money can't protect you from choppy seas and bad seafood.

The sight of an incredibly rich woman in agony as her dinner rockets from both her mouth and her backend is perhaps a shot at how money can't buy you a dignified end of your life. That's an idea, and one that is uniquely and gut churningly presented in Triangle of Sadness. Does the idea justify the shocking visual? That depends on your tolerance for bodily activities on the big screen. This happens to a character we don't know very well and can only assume is bad just because she is very rich and remarkably demanding in the few moments we do spend with her.

There is no central character in Triangle of Sadness. Instead we have character types. Harris Dickinson plays a model on the edge of his career. Carl has had success and been the face of a brand for a time. That however, does nothing for him when he seeks to be the face of a new campaign. Now, he's just another handsome face in a handsome crowd. Carl is struggling and his struggle is reflected in his relationship with a successful runway model turned social media influencer, Yaya, played by Charibi Dean.

On a date at a fancy and apparently expensive restaurant, Carl can't stop himself from getting into a semantic argument over who should be paying for dinner. Carl's annoyance is stemming from his insecurity both economically due to his seemingly flagging career and perceptivity, he's concerned about being a man who can't afford to pay for a fancy dinner. He couches this in the idea of male-female equality and how women want to be seen and treated as equals until the check arrives.

Yaya, for her part, is having none of this conversation. She sees right through Carl's insecurity. It's not that she's a better person or smarter than Carl, rather, she's been rendered insensitive by never having had to struggle. Yaya is rich, beautiful and successful to the point that she has no idea how much money she has or when her credit card has reached its limit. The interaction between Carl and Yaya is interesting as a surface level critique of gender roles, privilege, and masculine insecurity but the nagging argument lasts a little too long and doesn't have a real payoff leading to this plot petering out as it leads to the centerpiece of Triangle of Sadness, the yacht trip.

The middle of Triangle of Sadness is about the notion of privilege, those who uphold and enable it, and those who are subject to it. We have Carl and Yaya whose privilege comes with the caveat that they must document their excess in order to remain in excess. Yaya's primary income comes not from her lucrative modeling career but rather as an influencer who wields clout to earn brand deals and must flaunt her privileges in order to remain privileged. It's an interesting dynamic but slightly undercooked in the execution. As with such modern satire, it too easily boils down to simplistic contempt for so-called influencers.

The remaining rich vacationers are grotesque caricatures or clueless excessives who will have their privilege thrown back at them via Ostlund's vengeful seafood and toilets, as mentioned earlier. Again, if you lack a tolerance for such things being portrayed on screen, Triangle of Sadness is not for you. Ostlund goes all in on the puking, pooping, overflowing toilets and general chaotic grossness of a ship at sea with all things going wrong. I nearly quit watching the film at this point and it is a testament to my desire to experience Ostlund's complete vision that I did not simply walk away at this point.

This section of the film also serves as an extended cameo for the most well known member of the cast. Woody Harrelson plays the captain of the yacht, a drunkard and a hardcore Marxist. When the Captain insists on holding his Captain's dinner on a night when the crew knows the seas will be choppy and illness inducing, it's this decision that leads to most everyone becoming violently ill. All save for the Captain who forgoes his dinner in favor of more booze. In drinking, the Captain is joined by a passenger and fellow drunkard, Dimitry (Zlatko Buric), who made his fortune in fertilizer, he is King Shit. Together, the two debate Marxist politics versus capitalism and subject the entire yacht to their debate via a loud speaker.

Is it interesting? Yes, Woody Harrelson is a very compelling actor. That said, the deck is somewhat stacked in his favor as he debates Marxism with the Shit King, a Russian Oligarch on vacation with both his wife and his mistress at once. This sequence is interesting but it's not funny and it doesn't really strike any big chords. The Captain admits that his Marxist philosophy is undermined by his desire for the finer things in life and Dimitry admits that he's cut a lot corners and done a lot of shady things under the guise of capitalism and with an aim towards denouncing Marxism solely for the fact that it benefits him as a capitalist. Interesting but very surface level stuff.

The final act of Triangle of Sadness occurs on a seemingly deserted island. The luxury yacht capsized after being attacked by unknown pirates and only several characters survived to make it to this island. With the survivors being Carl, Yaya, and several other millionaires who don't exactly have the kind of skills that translate to survival on a deserted island, leadership falls to a lowly maid named Abigail (Dolly De Leon). Because she is the only one capable of catching fish for dinner, starting a fire, and cooking, she has essentially seized the means of production and placed the ownership class in her employ. She decides who earns the right to eat and thus survive and if anyone displeases her, she can cut them off.

This section isn't subtle and it is not trying to be. It's very plain and clear, the seizing of the means of production is one of the central tenets of Communism. Abigail thus begins a communist dictatorship on the island and Ostlund's target shifts from a satire of toxic privilege to one of satirizing power and corruption. As Abigail abuses her power another aspect of abuse emerges between herself and Carl but I will leave you to discover that if you decide that Triangle of Sadness is an experience you'd like to have.

I truly can't decide how I feel about anything in Triangle of Sadness. I completely understand all of the surface level critiques but I am failing to see any real point beyond their presentation. Perhaps, Ostlund intends for us to pick up the conversations he begins in the movie and that is an effective idea but not one I found fully satisfying in execution. Ostlund has a clear contempt for those with unending privilege but that contempt never takes the form of anything truly biting or even sarcastic. It's presented, left for you to decide how you feel about it and cast aside for the next bit of surface level critique.

That's how I felt anyway, the one truly great thing about Triangle of Sadness is that it has provoked a number of great reactions, both positive and negative. People observing and writing about Ostlund's ideas have given the movie a depth and credibility that I feel the film itself is lacking. That said, I've very much enjoyed reading reviews that have diverged into commentaries about gender politics, economic theories, and especially the conversations that draw parallels between Ostlund and other legendary provocateurs such as Luis Bunuel or Michelangelo Antonioni. If anything, Ostlund is provocative and for some, that's enough to recommend Triangle of Sadness.

Find my archive of more than 20 years and nearly 2000 movie reviews at SeanattheMovies.blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter at PodcastSean and follow the archive blog at SeanattheMovies. Listen to me talk about movies on the Everyone's a Critic Movie Review Podcast on your favorite podcast listening app. If you've enjoyed what you have read, consider subscribing to my work here on Vocal. If you would like to support my writing, you can make a monthly pledge or leave a one time tip here on Vocal. Thanks!