Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund’s satire of the rich and vain picked up the Palme d’Or at Cannes earlier this year, his second in a row after the art-world satire that was ‘The Square.’ Models Carl (Harris Dickenson) and Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean) are invited on a luxury cruise with a motley crew of wealthy passengers on board, including a Russian oligarch, British arms dealers, and a headstrong, alcoholic, Marx-quoting captain (Woody Harrelson). At first everything looks like the perfect Instagram post, but a fierce storm is brewing… Veering from the pungent to the grotesque, Östlund takes no prisoners in this caustic tale.

‘Östlund’s wickedly funny English-language follow-up to “The Square”… employs much the same tactic of creating deeply uncomfortable situations for people more than comfortable with their privilege. It’s a Buñuelian strategy, à la “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie,” of which Östlund has become art cinema’s foremost practitioner… The thing about Östlund is that he makes you laugh, but he also makes you think… First “The Square,” then “Triangle.” No matter what sphere he tackles, we’re bound to see the world differently.’—Peter Debruge, Variety