In Ruben Ostlund’s “Triangle of Sadness,” which is a social satire that left Cannes Film Festival viewers in shock, fashion models, Instagram influencers, and Russian oligarchs meet on a yacht.
Woody Harrelson, the Marxist boat captain played by the Swedish filmmaker, is making one of this year’s biggest waves. Its premiere Saturday night was so well received that Ostlund compared it to a soccer match crowd.
Ostlund’s movies, which take an uproarious and uncomfortable aim at money and masculinity, have already attracted an international audience. These include the Alpine marital drama, “Force Majeure”, with Julia Louis Dreyfus, and Will Ferrell, and “The Square,” an art-world satire that won the Palme d’Or top award at Cannes 2017.
Ostlund was determined to take his “rollercoaster for adult” cinema even further in his first English-language movie.
Ostlund stated that she wanted to make something that was worth leaving home, your screens and the streaming services you use at home before the film’s premiere. “I didn’t want to get stuck on the art house aspect of cinema-making. It was something I really enjoyed looking at that I found I enjoyed myself watching. The project I was considering had a bizarre setup.
The competition for this year’s Palme d’Or award is called “Triangle of Sadness”. It is named after a fashion term for a triangle-shaped crease that runs between the eyebrows. Ostlund’s first third follows Harris Dickinson, a male model, and Charlbi Dale Dean’s influencer girlfriend as they argue about picking up a check following dinner.
The film’s second act features riffs on fashion, but the “Triangle of Sadness,” which is based on a drunk socialist (Harrelson), moves into another mode when it takes them on a luxury yacht trip. Zlatko Biric plays Zlatko Buric, a Russian fertilizer magnate and weapons maker on the boat.
The comedy “Triangle of Sadness” reaches its comic peak when the seas turn rough. A lavish dinner turns into a farce of vomiting and worse while the captain and the oligarch discuss politics.
Ostlund says, “During my childhood, East and West were hitting each other on the head.” “All of a sudden, we’re back there in some way.”
Ostlund says, “I was raised in a home that encouraged discussion about society and many of the ideas that influenced politics in the 1960s.” “Marx has always been a part of my discussions. It’s almost impossible to not talk about class when you discuss human behavior and have a materialistic view of why we behave the way we do.
Harrelson quickly became a huge fan of Ostlund. He told reporters on Sunday that “The Triangle of Sadness,” was a “revitalizing experience” and that he will be appearing in Ostlund’s next film. These plans are real. Ostlund stated that the film would be called “The Entertainment System Is Down.”
Harrelson stated, “He can make you very uncomfortable.” He makes you think. He can help you see the movie with the sense that it has a purpose. Perhaps even more important, he can make you laugh. This is quite a feat.
Ostlund acknowledged that the Palme d’Or win had previously put pressure on the “Triangle of Sadness.” However, the festivalgoers responded enthusiastically and Ostlund could be back in the mix for Cannes’ top prizes.
The director said that it was an opportunity to explore what you had in your mind and not be restricted by it. “It was an opportunity to combine the best of American cinema and the best of European cinema. To do something with intellectual content, we did it in an entertaining manner.”
