Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 3 ratings
A celebrity model couple are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged, alcoholic captain. What first appears Instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island in a struggle of hierarchy.
Triangle of Sadness is a sharply constructed satirical triptych that earns high marks for its plot architecture — each act methodically dismantles a different tier of the social hierarchy with darkly comic precision. The yacht dinner-vomit sequence is a genuinely audacious set piece. Novelty is high because Östlund's voice is unmistakable: the film has a clinical, almost anthropological distance from its characters while still being viscerally funny, making it feel singular among class-satire films of its era. Acting is competent across the board — Woody Harrelson's drunk captain and Dolly De Leon's breakout performance are highlights, but the ensemble is uneven. Cinematography is functional and occasionally inspired but not a standout craft achievement. The ending is deliberately ambiguous and thematically resonant but somewhat abrupt — it earns its open-endedness without fully landing the emotional punctuation.