Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness wants to be a satire about social hierarchy, and for most of its 147 minutes it mostly succeeds. The film follows a celebrity couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), who accept an invitation to sail on a luxury cruise ship filled with the global rich. The ship is commanded by a unhinged, alcoholic captain (Woody Harrelson), and what begins as an Instagrammable vacation turns catastrophic. The survivors are left stranded on a desert island, where the film’s real subject emerges: a struggle for hierarchy and survival.
The film is Östlund’s English-language feature debut, and it arrives with serious weight. It premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where it received an eight-minute standing ovation and won the Palme d’Or. It went on to earn three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and collected additional nods at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Its cast reads like a roll call of character actors, with Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, Jean-Christophe Folly, Amanda Walker, Oliver Ford Davies, Sunnyi Melles, and Woody Harrelson all making the trip.
Trailer, via NEON.
The Cruise Ship as Stage
The film opens on the ship itself, a floating playground for the wealthy. The passengers are a parade of grotesque privilege, each one more entitled than the last. Carl and Yaya are the film’s main entry point, a young couple whose fame has made them minor celebrities. They are invited on the cruise to mingle with the powerful, and the film spends its early stretch documenting their discomfort as they navigate the ship’s social strata.
Östlund’s direction is confident and often sharp. He knows exactly when to hold back and when to push forward, and he trusts his actors to land the jokes. The early scenes crackle with energy, and the satire lands with a heavy thud. The film’s central conceit is that the ocean voyage is a microcosm of global society, and the ship becomes a stage for a larger conflict.
“Welcome aboard.”
That tagline is the film’s mission statement. It invites the audience in, then promptly kicks the door shut behind them. The film is unapologetic about its contempt for its subjects, and that attitude is infectious.
De Leon’s Performance
Dolly de Leon plays Abigail, a member of the ship’s crew who is trapped in a miserable marriage. Her performance is the engine of the film’s second half. As the survivors fight for survival on the island, Abigail’s perspective shifts the dynamic. She is not a victim, she is a survivor, and her presence forces the others to confront their own hierarchies.
The film’s Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay is well-deserved. Östlund’s script is lean and pointed, full of sharp observations about power and status. The dialogue is naturalistic without being natural, and it captures the way people talk when they are trying to maintain their position.
The supporting cast is uniformly excellent. Zlatko Burić plays Dimitry, a wealthy businessman who is both absurdly powerful and absurdly weak. Iris Berben plays Therese, a woman who is constantly underestimated. Amanda Walker plays Clementine, a woman who is constantly underestimated. Oliver Ford Davies plays Winston, a man who is constantly underestimated. Sunnyi Melles plays Vera, a woman who is constantly underestimated.
The Island Struggle
The film’s middle section is where it loses some of its momentum. The shift from the cruise ship to the island is abrupt, and the satire becomes more abstract. The struggle for hierarchy is a compelling idea, but the film sometimes struggles to ground it in specific stakes. The characters start to feel less like individuals and more like cogs in a machine.
The film’s Oscar nomination for Best Picture is a reach. The film is a strong piece of work, but it is not a great one. It is too uneven to sustain that kind of recognition. The nomination for Best Director is more warranted, as Östlund clearly knows what he is doing behind the camera.
The film’s performance at the box office was modest. It grossed over $32.8 million worldwide, which is respectable but not spectacular. That number tells us something about how audiences responded to the film’s message.
The Satire’s Limits
The film’s satire is its strongest asset, but it is also its weakest. The film is at its best when it is specific, and it is at its worst when it becomes abstract. The satire is often blunt, and it can feel less like a critique and more like a cudgel. The film is unapologetically mean, and that meanness is part of its appeal, but it can also be exhausting.
The film’s Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress (for de Leon) is a reach. De Leon is excellent, but she is not the reason the film works. The film works because of its ideas, not because of its performances.
The film’s nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes is a reach. The film is a drama, not a comedy. The film is a satire, not a musical. The film is a serious piece of work, not a light one.
The Verdict
Triangle of Sadness is a flawed but ambitious film. It is a satire with teeth, and it is willing to offend to make its point. The film is at its best when it is specific, and it is at its worst when it becomes abstract. It is a film that rewards attention, even when it demands it.
The film’s Oscar nominations are a mixed bag. The Best Picture nomination is a reach, the Best Director nomination is deserved, and the Best Original Screenplay nomination is well-earned. The film’s reception at Cannes is a testament to its power, and its box office numbers are a reminder of its limits.
The film is a worthwhile watch, but it is not a masterpiece. It is a film that will be remembered for its ideas, not for its execution. It is a film that will be discussed for years to come, but it will not be the film that defines Östlund’s career.
The film earns a score of 6.3 out of 10.
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