Triangle of Sadness

Charlbi Dean: RIP

I liked, but didn't love Ruben Ostlund's Triangle of Sadness. What was most praised about the film was what I found to be its most superficial aspect: its satire of the ultra rich. As Susan Granger has pointed out, the plot is an update of J.M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton which has been filmed numerous times. Ostlund's satire has the subtlety of a blunderbuss (the names of the English couple living on their family's armaments fortune are named Winston and Clementine) and the laughs depend on one's tolerance for vomit and feces. I did find Ostlund's comic timing to be well-judged, though.

As with Force Majeure and The Square, Triangle of Sadness is most rewarding when picturing males shirking their responsibilities, exemplified by Woody Harrelson's drunken Captain. I didn't find much to poke through in the film's mise-en-scene, but appreciated the performances of Harrelson, Zlatko Buric, and the late Charlbi Dean.