There’s always a point where fiction begins to catch up with reality, and even sometimes forecast it, and we’re at a pivotal point of pop culture where artists are commenting on the class divide. What with the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer, now more than ever the film world is ripe for commentary through various genres. We saw it with “Glass Onion” and we basically see it with “Triangle of Sadness” which wears its social satire on its sleeve, and relishes in its darkness and penchant for spitting on social structures.
In Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared “instagrammable” ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.
Like many I initially assumed that “Triangle of Sadness” was going to be very much a comedy about dumb rich people on a luxury boat, and the long suffering servants. The trailers advertise it as such, but the central setting is by no means the luxury yacht. The yacht only plays a role in about twenty five percent of the movie, and it quickly becomes a setting filled with dark twists within its walls. Much of the film shifts its focus to various characters, all of whom belong to various class stratospheres within this yacht. The yacht acts more as a microcosm for society as a whole, as we’re subjected to the clueless obscenely rich, and those that serve at the beck and call.
Woody Harrelson’s role as the ship’s captain is small but effective, as he not only goes down with his ship, but helps usher in the destruction of this class divide. When the remaining characters land on the deserted island, it’s where Ostlund’s film really picks up. The movie for the most part is a survival dark comedy about survivors merely looking for ways to go on another day. As with most scenarios of this ilk, the whole façade of class and social standing drops and the small group begins to re-assert who stands to become the most essential in the group. This involves a lot of scheming, back stabbing, and inevitable power plays.
This is especially true with Dolly De Leon’s character of Abigail, a former maid who becomes the most important survivor in the group. The moment she realizes that, is the moment she becomes a devious, conniving, but worthwhile leader, willing to get as cut throat as possible. The film is not shy about showing how everything we hold dear in society means absolutely nothing when we’re reduced to scraps of clothing and minuscule food at our disposal. The collective performances are top notch, as Ostlund manages to provide such a pitch black, engaging, and sharp edged commentary on humanity, and it’s one that we sorely need more of in modern cinema.