'Triangle of Sadness' Review: Enchantingly inviting satire on class and politics

Film Triangle of SadnessCast Harris Dickinson Charlbi Dean Dolly de Leon Zlatko Buric Iris Berben Vicki Berlin Henrik Dorsin Woody HarrelsonDirector Ruben OstlundRating 35 5Runtime 147 minsThe writerdirector of celebrated films like Force Majeure and The Square Swedenrsquos socially conscious Ruben Ostlund uses his sharp acerbic and obvious wit to dismantle class and opportunistic politics in this his first English language outing and recent Palm drsquoOr winner Triangle of Sadness basically refers to the Botoxready space between the eyebrows of fashion models and we get that from the opening act itself where models are auditioning for a highend brand campaignFor those looking to escape the drudgery of middleclass life this film has the ability to take you on a delightfully visually scenic cruise ride catering to the uberrich that inevitably hurtles towards disaster providing you with a vicariously hysterical escape to a paradise blighted by the survival strategies of those washed ashoreThe premise is simple What happens when a celebrity model cum lsquoinfluencerrsquo couple come facetoface with the rich elite and the service and cleaning staff aboard a Cruise liner affordable only to the UberwealthyAt the very top are a class of people so wealthy that theyrsquove lost all touch with reality wining and dining and shopping to their hearts content An elderly genteel Brit couple Oliver Ford Davies and Amanda Walkerhave come into their fortune ldquoby protecting democracies around the world through precision engineeringrdquo albeit by selling arms and ammunition A fertilizer magnate a Russian oligarch Zlatko Buric tells everyone he made his money from shit And there are many more of their kind While the rich sun on the deck the largely white service staff supervised by Paula Vicki Berlincelebrate potential tips and the colored nonwhite cleaning staff await their turn in the hull belowTriangle of Sadness is a threeact story The first which could well be a short film of its own introduces us to Carl Harris Dickinson and Yaya Charlbi Dean two upcoming models out on a date who towards the end of their fancy dinner get into an argument on genderbased assumptions Ostlund goes back and forth in time to sharply pinpoint transactional relationships and presumptive gender roles Itrsquos a very promising start to a film that plies us with an aspirational joyride before it overturns the class hierarchy The second section takes place aboard a yacht that Yaya and Carl have been invited to promote through their social media handles That is a location where the class hierarchy is most obvious Ostlund uses biting wit to make his intent reverberate through the narrative A woman Mia Benson insists that the ship that is sparkling clean all over has sails that look dirt greymdash but the yacht is motorised and has no sails Carl jealous of a shirtless worker that dares to catch Yayarsquos appreciative eye gets him firedA lone appcreating genius Henrik Dorsin is obviously grateful when two beautiful young women welcome him to take a photo with them Another passenger Sunnyi Melles insists that the entire crew go for a swim A disabled woman Iris Berben recovering from a stroke can only repeat the words ldquoIn Den Wolkenrdquo which means ldquoIn the cloudsrdquoItrsquos quite obvious from the manner in which Ostlund sets up his narrative that the superrich have little or no clue about ground reality and want everyone to be a slave to their whims and fanciesAlso ReadMissing Searching 2 review A perfect thriller for the lsquoITrsquo generationThe dismantling of the hierarchy begins with the sitdown Captainrsquos dinner held on a stormy night The drunk worldweary Captain Woody Harrelson prefers to eat his hamburger while his guests dine on impressive finedining options specially created to impress them While the storm starts raging outside obvious from the frequent turbulence within the dining area the guests onebyone begin to unravel Ostlund uses the camera to give us a vicarious account of the nausea and intestinal upheaval the guests experience before the night devolves into an explosion of bodily fluidsWhile the second act more or less dismantles most of the societal structures the third is designed to flatten it for good and then reverse roles Surviving after being marooned on an Island in the middle of somewhere asks for survival skills that only the hardworking Toilet Manager Abigail Dolly De Leon can provide So that sets her up as the Boss while others must do her bidding or else pay the price This is an acerbically funny cruise ride that makes topsyturvy experiences look like fun Ostlundrsquos sharp dialogue that quotes Reganisms Thatcherisms Mark Twain and Vladimir Lenin coupled with Fredrik Wenzelrsquos lustrous cinematography and some wonderful natural performances make this sardonic satire on class and politics enchantingly inviting

'Triangle of Sadness' Review: Enchantingly inviting satire on class and politics

Film: Triangle of Sadness
Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, Woody Harrelson
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Rating: 3.5/ 5
Runtime: 147 mins

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Home / Entertainment / Hollywood News / Article / 'Triangle of Sadness' Review: Enchantingly inviting satire on class and politics

'Triangle of Sadness' Review: Enchantingly inviting satire on class and politics

Film: Triangle of Sadness Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, Woody HarrelsonDirector: Ruben OstlundRating: 3.5/ 5Runtime: 147 mins

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Film: Triangle of Sadness
Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, Woody Harrelson
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Rating: 3.5/ 5
Runtime: 147 mins