Triangle of Sadness review
London Film Festival 2022
Having skewered the prejudices and pretensions of the art world in Palme D’or winning The Square and attacked male egoism in Force Majeure, Ruben Ostlund now brings us a satisfying if unnuanced satirical evisceration of the uber-rich.
We are first introduced to our central characters - the sickeningly self absorbed models Yaya and Karl (Charlbi Dean and Harris Dickinson) - in a hilarious and characteristically materialistic argument over who will pay the bill for an expensive meal. This brattish pair are our ticket onto Ostlund’s nightmarish luxury cruise ship (they are gifted the trip in return for their social media influencing powers). The other guests are like a top trumps pack of the worst of the wealthy, from Russian oligarchs to British arms dealers (their top product? “The hand grenade, dear”). It’s no wonder, then, that we wish to see these revoltingly rich guests punished and rinsed of their dignity - and Ostlund obliges.
As a storm hits, the swaying yacht plays much like a fairground ride; in the screening I was at, the audience screeched, gagged and grimaced with each spew of vomit. Indeed, Ostlund has explained that he intended to create audience engagement resembling a European football match. There is great joy in this cinematic experience, and a gleeful catharsis in watching the downfall of the guests, as Woody Harrelson’s drunken captain shouts Marxist excerpts through the boat’s sound system while its guests slide around in their own excrement.
However, the film lacks nuance. Heavy handed metaphors repeatedly hammer home the message that power corrupts, and wealthy guests behaving atrociously is not exactly a surprising concept - it’s all a little obvious. This could be forgiven, though, if it wasn’t for the unwieldy third act, where the passengers find themselves in a Lord Of The Flies-esque island hostage situation. The film completely loses its way - it felt almost like watching an early, throw-everything-at-it draft of the script, as though Ostlund didn’t quite know how to conclude the story, ending up with an overly long film which loses its punch.
In cinemas from the 28th of October. Cert. 15.
15/10/22 - Lola English