Photo Courtesy of Variety
Cinematography: 8.5/10
Costumes: 8/10
Sets: 8.7/10
Acting: 9/10
Special Effects: 9.5/10
Character development: 7/10
Warning! Don’t watch this movie if you’re not fond of intense vomiting.
“Triangle of Sadness”, directed by Ruben Östlund, follows a group of wealthy patrons on a private yacht trip as well as the crew manning the vessel after they are stranded on an island and struggle to survive. The film received a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and is rated R for language and mature content.
Though there were a few aspects of this film that we enjoyed, we appreciate the overall message that it sends. “Triangle of Sadness” focuses on the power dynamics and extreme contrast between the wealthy on vacation and the way they treat the poor staff. And when things go awry, how the power shifts into the hands of the crew and their increasing dependence on them. The film is similar in some aspects to “Downton Abbey”, in that it shows both the “upstairs and downstairs” perspectives, however this film draws particular attention to the contrasting hierarchy between the staff and the guests. It tackles privilege in a way that many a few movies do. Overall, the cinematography was unique and creative, and the movie had a very contemporary and modern vibe. We noticed a lot of purposeful choices in the framing of different scenes and also the angles used to portray the power dynamics between different characters. The costumes were also throughout, especially in the beginning fashion show scenes as well as at the end when the characters’ clothes have become tattered and worn out from the shipwreck. The attention to detail throughout the film was good, but nothing very special.
However, “Triangle Of Sadness” has quite a few questionable moments. As viewers, we felt there were a lot of “phone moments,” meaning that the film didn’t completely capture our attention the entire time as much as we would have liked. It was nearly two and a half hours long, however it felt much longer. The film is split up into three parts: first, the relationship between two main characters, Carl and his girlfriend, Yaya, second, the yacht, and third, the shipwreck.
The entire first part focuses on the relationship between Carl and Yaya, however we felt that it was unnecessary to the plot overall and could have been cut. It only showed that they had relationship issues, but that storyline was not necessary in the overall storyline of the whole film.
In the second part, one scene we did not enjoy was when we watched in horror as the wealthy vacationers vomited for a solid ten to fifteen minutes. It was both revolting and (in hindsight) thought provoking. As for the actual vomit, it was incredibly graphic and reminded us of the scene in television series, “The Office”, where Kevin spills his chili on the carpet, except imagine watching that coming out of humans, sewage systems, and flooding hallways for fifteen minutes. However, it actually looked pretty realistic, so the special effects did its job well.
During the third part, we were especially disappointed that certain plot lines did not come full circle, such as never getting a full explanation of the phrase “In Den Wolken” that one character repeats throughout the film. Her story line is never completed, as we never saw her background story and she never had any character development. We also did not think the movie had a satisfactory ending, and while it was up for the viewers interpretation, we were confused and thought it could have ended in a different way.
Though a unique film and one that tackles issues that many movies stay away from, we do not think that this movie will win Best Picture, due to its inconsistency with story lines and character development. We thought that the acting was good, but not as outstanding as compared to Cate Blanchett in “Tár”, or Austin Butler in “Elvis”. We also think that both the R rating and the Rotten Tomatoes score is appropriate.
