by A.J.
Best Pictures #87: 2022 (95th) Academy Awards Best Picture Nominee
“Can you relax your triangle of sadness?”
This should be said upfront: Triangle of Sadness is not for everyone. This is not only because of a prolonged scene of people vomiting and defecating all over a pleasure yacht, but also because of its slow but deliberate pace, penchant for awkward, uncomfortable humor, and not too subtle themes. I’m no fan of cringe-inducing humor or heavy handed messaging, but here writer-director Ruben Östlund pulls off the same delicate, deft touch that Rod Serling achieved with his The Twilight Zone, successfully combining socio-political commentary with entertainment.
Triangle of Sadness is divided into three chapters and it is impossible to talk about the movie without revealing a little bit of each chapter, so, very mild spoilers follow. In Chapter 1, titled Carl and Yaya, we meet male model Carl (Harris Dickinson) and his financially struggling influencer girlfriend Yaya (Charlbi Dean). They are vapid young people and aren’t poor but also aren’t mega-wealthy. Their issues and arguments might be the most relatable part of the movie. In chapter 2, The Yacht, we meet some of the mega-wealthy 1 percent including a very proper British couple who made their fortune from manufacturing landmines and hand grenades (U.N. regulations really cut into their land mine profits). They also meet Dimitry (Zlatko Buric), a loud mouthed Russian oligarch who proclaims himself to be the “king of shit” because he made his fortune selling fertilizer. In Chapter 3: The Island, after the yacht is struck by a storm and pirate attack, the survivors find themselves on an island where their whole social order is turned upside down since the only person with survival skills is Abigail (Dolly De Leon), the ship’s toilet cleaner. The quandary posed by the power inversion of Chapter 3 is the crux of the movie, so though it takes a while to get there, most of what comes before feels worthwhile.
There is no doubt that Triangle of Sadness will be remembered as the movie with an extended sequence of the characters vomiting and defecating everywhere on a fancy yacht. Supposedly it took six months to edit this sequence. This might be the most jarring and grossest out of place sequence since the vomit heavy story Gordy tells to his friends in Stand By Me.
One of the ultra wealthy passengers, in her “kindness,” insists that all the crew members should have fun and swim in the ocean. She is wealthy enough, and the captain cannot be bothered to intervene, so the crew swims which pushes the dinner back to coincide with a choppy storm that throws the boat around while the guests are served fine dining. The captain, not a fan of fine dining, eats a cheeseburger and fries. Characters projectile vomit as the ship loses power and the crew do their best to maintain a sense of ordered normality. As the waves throw the ship around we see one character slide around the vomit covered floor of her bathroom as she tries to catch the toilet. The Marxist, not communist, Captain (Woody Harrelson), and Dimitry have an amusing drunken debate broadcast over the PA system while toilets explode and rivers of shit spill down staircases. The heavy rock music accompanying the scene somehow makes this all easier to take and conveys the intended humor and absurdity.
In spite of everything that happens in Triangle of Sadness, it is not dour or mean spirited. Every character is vapid on some level, including the oppressed Abigail, but none are especially or intentionally cruel. Everyone is limited by their own limited experiences, and when confronted with a new scenario in Chapter 3 becomes overwhelmed. The brilliance of Triangle of Sadness is that it resists the temptation to turn into a Tales From the Crypt episode or slasher movie in which you watch, and enjoy, terrible people getting their karmic comeuppance. Östlund constructs a conundrum based on everything you’ve seen and then poses a question to the viewer. This means that, yes, there is an ambiguous ending–another reason this movie is not for everyone.
Triangle of Sadness, a reference to the area between the eyebrows and down to the nose, is ultimately a fine dark, off-kilter comedy and social commentary. This is not an out-and-out comedy though many scenes and situations are quite humorous. Östlund plays out several scenes in wide shots leaving us to fill in the detail, making the viewer as an observer rather than a participant. That none of the characters are especially likable or unlikeable makes this more complex than just a morality play. Östlund’s Oscar nominations for Original Screenplay and Best Director are unconventional but well earned. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award, Triangle of Sadness is a most atypical Best Picture nominee.
Nominees: Erik Hemmendorff, Philippe Bober, producers
Director: Ruben Östlund
Screenplay: Ruben Östlund
Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Woody Harrelson
Production Companies: Imperative Entertainment, Film i Väst, BBC Film, et al.
Distributor: Neon
Release Date: October 7th, 2022
Total Nominations: 3, including Best Picture
Other Nominations: Director-Ruben Östlund; Original Screenplay-Ruben Östlund
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