Written by Cole Mihalich. Photo courtesy of IMDb.
Divided into three parts, Ruben Östlund’s “Triangle of Sadness” was hilarious, bombastic and aimless. The first third of the film built the relationship of model couple Yaya (Charlbi Dean) and Carl (Harris Dickinson) as they quarreled over a dinner bill, gender roles and the financial benefits of their influencer-based relationship. The second threw their relationship into the oddest of situations under the label “The Yacht” when the two found themselves among the upper class on a large luxury Yacht. There we’re introduced to a dozen characters and increasingly wild situations. This continued into the third act.
The social commentary went from subtle to obvious to cripplingly obvious. While all commentary didn’t need to be shrouded in wit, it was frequently on the nose to an eye-rolling extent. At one point in the film, a capitalist and a communist shared a drunken debate. The two pulled quotes from their phones, pitting Marx against Kennedy. The communist – I mean Marxist – played by the dependable Woody Harrelson typically came out on top because this is a commentary on wealth and capitalism. I hadn’t forgotten the point of the film, but soon after, Östlund certainly seemed to.
There is some good in this film. Östulnd’s dialogue remained consistently sharp and hilarious, and his direction turned even the smallest of movements into laugh-out-loud moments with priceless precision. The situations became more and more ridiculous to the point where you couldn’t help but look to the friend to your right and mouth, “Holy crap.”
While Ruben Östlund’s Palme D’or winning film may not have reached the same heights as other wealth-critiquing Palme D’or winners, it still held its own as a fair addition to the ever-growing pantheon of clever class commentaries.
