Charlie Dean Crick as Yaya and Harris Dickinson as Carl in ‘Triangle of Sadness’.
2022 Palme d’Or Winner tackles the demons spawned by patriarchy, the bourgeoisie, the military-industrial complex, the fashion industry, and the sex trade on a cruise.
Yaya (Charlby Dean Crick) and Carl (Harris Dickinson) star in the first act of Ruben Østlund’s latest film. Yaya is an influencer model who is allergic to gluten, and brands love to pamper her with freebies just to get her name on their social media; Meanwhile, Carl struggles to make a name for himself professionally in his shadow. An argument breaks out between the two over the dinner bill as Karl is frustrated by Yaya’s reluctance to pay her share, a pattern he admits he has been noticing for some time. It’s definitely the movie’s strongest — the conversation, like any conversation involving money in a relationship, is awkward but feels necessary. The post-mortem of Yaya’s decision not to pay the bill is refreshing, albeit a bit too obvious which breaks the tension a bit too abruptly – a pattern that can be seen throughout the film.
triangle of sadness
the director: Ruben Ostlund
Throw: Charlby Dean Crick, Harris Dickinson, Woody Harrelson, Dolly De Leon, Carolina Jinning, Vicki Berlin, Zlatko Burik
runtime: 140 minutes
Plot: A cruise for the super-rich sinks, leaving the survivors – including a fashion model celebrity couple – stranded on an island
The second act is set at sea. Yaya, who was gifted a cruise ticket, takes Carl with her. The cruise is full of the uber-rich; From Russian oligarchs to grenade makers, the myriad characters (all of whom are white) make for interesting caricatures with predictable backstories. In the early hours of the cruise, most of the jokes were cracked away from the ground. land (Sorry) And Ostlund’s raunchy humor is commendable. However, after a captain’s dinner on a stormy night filled with vomit and feces, things take a turn for the worse for the crew and spectators. The Marxist captain’s (Woody Harrelson) Google quote with the Reagan-fanboy Russian elite revives the tension and gives us a moment of hope, only to plunge us into despair with the hijacking of the ship, which leaves the cruise’s survivors alone. Leaves a no man’s island.
The title Scales of Power and Abigail (Dolly De Leon), a worker on the ship, is the self-appointed captain of the lifeboat and the events that follow are reminiscent of George Orwell. Animal Farm,
In the third act, the jokes don’t take the edge off and, like the survivors, we tire of satire that wears too thin to make any tangible impact. There are brief moments of relief; Like when Yaya scolds Carl for his aggressive body language, but unfortunately, they get lost under Ostlund’s overwhelming need to ridicule and criticize every aspect of modern society, rendering the sarcasm – that he has done so in two acts. Have built on – somewhat in vain. The cliffhanger at the end doesn’t do much to lift the spirit of the film either.
the late charlby dean crick As the shy girlfriend charms us with her performance, and Woody Harrelson is a breath of fresh air among seasick travelers. Dolly De Leon is magnetic in the third act, but the loose writing lets her talents slip. Like the people at the captain’s dinner, director Ostlund bites off more than he can chew and struggles to digest it.