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Triangle of Sadness is directed by Ruben Ostlund and is most notable for its recent Oscar nomination for best picture. The film also made headlines on March 12th on the New York Post as there was a tribute made by the producer for the life of Charlbi Dean who unfortunately passed away in August of 2022 due to bacterial sepsis. Having not heard of this film or this actress, I decided that it would be best to give it a watch. Regardless of my review of this film, I want to give my condolences to the family of Charlbi Dean and her family as she was so incredibly young for something like this to happen to her and I am sure her family must still be mourning their loss.
And I am thankful to say, all of the actors excelled in their roles. That certainly would have made things awkward if the deceased actress had a bad performance. However, Charlbi Dean’s character Yaya ironically showed a lot of depth in her shallowness. The film brilliantly conveyed how she wasn’t necessarily a bad person (she may have even been one of the most innocent of all the characters) and had moments where she appeared genuinely sympathetic, but was also an absolute narcissist. Her sympathy is entirely credited by the depth Dean gave to this performance and she absolutely stood out in the scenes she was the focus in. She was also the perfect foil to the harmless, for better or for worse, boyfriend, Carl, played by Harris Dickinson. There are many more characters that I could highlight, but without spoilers, these are the leads and, just like them, all the supporting characters have massive flaws but are also still able to be seen as human beings.
The plot of this film is difficult to describe without spoiling the film. This is a film best watched when knowing absolutely nothing about the film and seeing where it takes you. There are a few things I can generally say. For one, this is not a family movie. And no, the film being rated R is not the reason. I watched this with my mom and my grandmother and the only thing they could really say is that this is the most bizarre film they have ever seen. From the beginning, I knew this would be a film that would be something I would like and my family would hate for that same reason. For one, the humor in this film is incredibly dark. To call this a comedy would be a bit of an overstatement, but whenever the humor is there, it is to reinforce some satirical message on the human condition. Which leads me into my second point, the film is incredibly philosophical. The film says a lot about gender, class, and economic politics. This is no popcorn flick that you can just casually sit down with someone of any age without both of you being clear that the film you are about to watch is gonna be one of the weirdest films you have ever seen.
If any of this does sound interesting to you, the only other warning I have is there is a long scene around the midpoint of the film that is absolutely disgusting. Do not watch this film if you are deeply adverse to gross moments in film. Without spoilers, that is a big warning.
With all of that said, is this film effective in what it aspires to be? Yes, until literally the last 10 seconds of the film. I was in love with this film and what its themes were and how that reflected our culture. I was intrigued with the story and character choices that transpired. The acting choices were deeply layered and complex and made for an incredible viewing experience. The film was shot competently with some shots being deeply effective, although admittedly some of the shots could have been more creative if it were to be an instant classic film. I love how much of the second act doesn’t even focus on our leads and that allows every character to play into a bigger narrative. What that narrative is, to be frank, is one I am still trying to figure out, but to experience a film that challenges me on this level is deeply rewarding. Perhaps my only true nitpick is the pacing at parts could have been improved as this was a movie that was a bit too long, but that too was not a huge problem. With that said, literally the last shot of the film made no sense and ultimately left me in a state of confusion as to the entirety of the ending and what the film’s grand final statement was supposed to be. And that did tarnish the film quite a bit.
Other than that, there is not much I can say about the film at this time. There is so much I want to say, but quite honestly I do need more preparation and, after a full reading of the book Lord of the Flies, I intend to give a spoiler review of this film in the future, so look out for that readers. Until then, I do have a general feeling on what the film was saying and can say that this would have easily been an 8 or a 9 as my final score if the film chose to stick the landing and it could have even been a 10 if this was a little bit better directed and edited. However, the biggest thing that dragged this film down was its ending. Maybe the ending was a joke on us as viewers, but it is a joke I did not get. Still, I can’t shake that this was one of the most thought provoking and highly engaging films I have seen in a long time and certainly is a film I will remember for a while, and for that, it deserves high praise and its oscar nomination.
Final Verdict: 7.8/10
Written by Kurt Kreeger
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