Ready To Get Lost In The Triangle of Sadness?

With the crazy things that are happening in the world between the rich and the working class, Ruben Östlund's latest film Triangle of Sadness may be a work of fiction but seems hit hard closer to the truth. It stars a number of diverse actors such as Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Henrik Dorsin, Vicki Berlin, and Woody Harrelson.

One can also get to feel what the movie is about with the promotional posters that featured one of the characters barfing. And indeed, it has a lot of them and more things to be seen. But the vile liquids are not the highlight of the film, rather it is the class struggles of the characters, the clash of wealth, the new way of social climbing, the need for attention, and a discourse of political ideologies.

The film is divided into three parts that focuses on the key plots. We have a couple of models who strive to make it big in their careers yet find themselves to elevate their status and online content by being part of the lavish lifestyle of the ultra-rich aboard the exclusive yacht. The luxury cruise brings all of the key characters serviced by very loyal staff that will do almost everything to their client’s satisfaction. And finally, the island where things get really messed up and ironically funny.

Included in the cast is Filipino actress Dolly de Leon, who plays a toilet manager aboard the boat yet is considered an important player in the film. Dolly shares that she is very happy with the reaction of the Filipino audience when it had its special screening for the opening of QCinema 2022. Many are also praising her performance which they also see as a worthy contender for acting awards.

It was reported that some screenings would include barf bags just in case that some may be uneasy with the unpleasant scene during the cruise.  It also had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and received an 8-minute standing ovation and won the Palme d’Or. It also got good reviews and was also nominated in the upcoming European Film Awards.

I did enjoy the movie for the various layers of social issues it has shown in the film. The elements of dark comedy are complemented by great dialogue and the gravity of the situation. The extreme moments are striking despite not over-exaggerating because the message is delivered effectively. And since it mirrors very close to what happens in real life, it draws attention and laughter from the audience very well.

Triangle of Sadness is now showing in Philippine cinemas and distributed by TBA Studios.