Triangle of Sadness – Film Review

Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.

There’s a strange sort of aura to Ruben Östlund‘s Triangle of Sadness that you won’t be able to shake throughout the entirety of its beastly one-hundred-and-forty-seven minute running time. It’s a film that’s kind of haunting in so many aspects while also being one of the most unexpectedly hilarious movies of the entire year so far.

Östlund takes us on a journey of laughs, sadness, longing, and greed in what resulted in being one of the most wild films of the year. It’s also one of the most disgusting of the year as well, thanks to one incredibly memorable vomiting scene that was so iconic that it even got its own poster.

But Triangle of Sadness is really, at its core, about the rich and how we need to get rid of them. At least the greedy ones. The message here is certainly good and the way that it’s delivered here by Östlund is powerful, but I must admit that it’s getting a little tiring having to hear/see this same message over and over again.

Even earlier this month we had Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery basically say the exact same thing as well as its predecessor. Triangle of Sadness definitely takes a different approach than most films I’ve seen with the same subject matter and themes, though.

Even when it’s not getting super deep and interesting with its message, the film finds ways to be truly hilarious, while also being deeply intriguing thanks to some much needed strong dramatic moments. The third act in particular was a true delight to witness. It’s probably one of the most satisfying and crazy third acts from 2022.

But what really brings this movie together are the performances across the board. There’s Harris Dickinson in an extremely nuanced and multi-layered role as Carl, as well as the always terrific Woody Harrelson, who portrays the hugely fascinating Captain Thomas Smith.

Everyone involved with the film in front of the camera especially, really brought forth their A-game. Harrelson, in particular, was a delight to see. It was kind of weird – in a good way – to see Harrelson actually deliver a strong performance in a movie following the less than favorable Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Is Triangle of Sadness a game-changer when it comes to delivering this anti-rich message? Not at all. But it’s still a really good one at that, and it also comes complete with some genuine laughs along the way, as well as some legitimately strong performances all around.