Susan Granger’s review of Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)
I was stunned that Ruben Ostlund’s tedious “Triangle of Sadness” not only won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival but went on to snag three Academy Award nominations for Picture, Director and Original Screenplay.
Best known for his ski slope farce “Force Majeure” and art world mockery “The Square,” the Swedish writer-director begins this gross social satire by introducing two vapid, if photogenic models (Charlbi Dean, Harris Dickinson), an amiable elderly English weapons-dealing couple and a Russian oligarch, among others, aboard a doomed luxury yacht that is captained by a drunk Marxist (Woody Harrelson).
After an interminable interlude of mass vomiting during rough seas, the entitled influencers and uber-rich discover that their $250-million vessel has run aground, leaving them marooned on what appears to be a deserted island.
Since the pampered passengers possess little or no survival skills, they helplessly turn to the service staff, headed by Paula (Vicky Berlin). But it’s resourceful Abigail (Dolly De Leon), a toilet-cleaner, who asserts her authority, reversing the accepted social structure.
In an interview with “Entertainment Weekly,” 52-year-old Filipina actress Dolly De Leon noted that she has relatives and friends in cruise ship service: “There are 1.7 Filipino workers sailing all over the world. I wanted to make sure that I would do right by them.”
Except for Dolly’s, the characters are superficial caricatures and – insofar as ‘originality’ is concerned – the plot is directly lifted from “The Admirable Crichton” (1957), a South Seas adventure/comedy about a British butler (Kenneth More) who takes charge after a shipwreck, based on J.M. Barrie’s 1902 stage play.
FYI: The title refers to the Botox-beckoning space between the eyebrows where frown lines are often formed – and the yacht scenes were filmed aboard the Christina O, which once belonged to Greece’s Onassis family. Languages spoken in the film include English, French, Swedish, Greek, German, Twi, Croatian and Tagalog.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10 “Triangle of Sadness” is a smug, self-indulgent 6 – but, obviously, my negative opinion is in the minority on this one.
