A sharp, dark satire on power dynamics

Triangle of Sadness

English (Theatres)

Rating: 3.5/5

Director: Ruben Ostlund

Cast: Charlbi Dean Kriek, Harris Dickinson, Woody Harrelson

Imagine a trimmed and dark version of ‘The White Lotus’ where the roles get reversed, and primitive human traits come into play. ‘Triangle of Sadness’ is this and more. Written and directed by Ruben Östlund, the movie has bagged three Oscar nominations — for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and is currently in the theatres in India.

Upcoming model Carl (Harris Dickinson) is asked to relax the muscles in the forehead which form the ‘triangle of sadness’—which is also the basis for the title. Carl, later with his influencer girlfriend Yaya (Charlbi Dean Kriek), is invited to a cruise ship alongside a group of super-rich people — a defence contractor, a Russian fertiliser manufacturer and many others.

The Murphy’s law hits the cruise and the movie starts to turn dark. A drunk captain, and the staff trained to never say no to anything, play their own roles in sinking the ship, along with the storm and pirates.

What follows is a survival drama with changed power equations. The cook (Abigail, played by Dolly De Leon) at the cruise is the only one who knows how to catch fish and cook it, and she uses it to her advantage, having been sidelined by everyone all her life.

The movie offers a nuanced commentary on various ideologies and ideas of equality through long dialogues, characters and situations. People adjust to new situations easily for the sake of survival, and the movie does not judge them — it only offers a neutral commentary.

The movie satirises the hunger for power and recognition in people irrespective of their ideology, and how the seat of power changes everyone.

Finally, what seems like hope for Yaya becomes a problem for Abigail. The movie doesn’t answer all questions — it leaves things open-ended. It makes for an engaging survival drama that’s not over yet.