Review of Triangle of Sadness (2022) by Rebecca31 — 31 Mar 2023

Triangle of Sadness is grotesque on so many levels, it’s absolutely insane and I loved it. If you haven’t seen it already, fix that now because this is an experience not to be missed.

Celebrity couple Yaya (Charlbi Dean) and Carl (Harris Dickinson) are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich. What starts as the picture perfect and most instagrammable voyage on the sea quickly turns sour and ends in the most catastrophic way possible. Now stranded on an island, they must fight for their survival. Sure who wouldn’t want to be stranded on an island with a bunch of self-centred millionaires, what could possibly go wrong in that scenario?

Triangle of Sadness is unique, fun and disgusting all at once. It doesn’t pull its punches when making fun of the model industry, the ultra-wealthy and how they’ve accumulated their wealth. It’s a satirical commentary on class and how the other half live, especially how out of touch with reality they can be. So ultimately when everything starts going catastrophically wrong you can’t help but think “ah sure don’t they kinda deserve it.”.

It’s grotesque in how some of these people end up treating the staff who must endure their insufferable requests. I’ve never been on a cruise (and after this, that’s even less likely to happen) but anyone who has or those particularly who’ve worked on them I’m sure can relate to this. As disgusting as some of the people portrayed in Triangle of Sadness are, there are moments where you’ll almost feel sorry for them, but you might also be wiping the tears from your face from laughing. A story that places these uber-rich people in a survival situation plays out about as well as you’d expect. It feels like two movies joined together, with the first act reminding me of Zoolander at times, then eventually descending into a more Lord of the Flies vibe, with a third act taking a strange turn.

Perhaps a satirical comedy about some of the most horrific people isn’t for everyone. The seasickness scene particularly is horrendous and maybe you should make sure you’re done munching away on popcorn at that point. It does seem a little drawn out in places, yet I was never bored, but this did make the abrupt ending feel like it came out of nowhere. Despite that I still thoroughly enjoyed Triangle of Sadness.

Harris Dickinson is certainly having a great year onscreen, Where The Crawdads Sing, See How They Run and now Triangle of Sadness all in 2022. The guy is going places that’s for sure and I’m sure we’ll continue to see him in lots of different movies to come. Alongside the late Charlbi Dean together they are brilliant as the model/influencer couple. After winning a trip on the yacht, they seem a little out of place next to all the others who’ve bought a ticket. Although they also have questionable character traits you do feel for them when things descend into chaos. Woody Harrelson always puts in a great performance, if anything he could have been used more. Also Dolly De Leon is another standout performance, she is wonderful. Everyone brought their best to this movie and it shows. It didn’t win the Palme d’Or at Cannes for nothing and after this I intend on checking out director and writer Ruben Östlund’s other movies.

The cinema was completely packed and in stitches laughing at the Triangle of Sadness. So, if you’re in the mood for something a little different and done with all the horror movies right now then here’s your movie. If you’re still unsure the trailer gives a pretty good idea of what you’re in for. Highly recommended.