The film opens with a celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) arguing over splitting the cheque, an argument that poses questions on how we view gender roles in society.
We are then invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson).
The movie starts off with instagrammable moments that then turn into a catastrophe, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.
P.S. You may need to use the barf bags available in the seat in front of you…
The Knockturnal sat down and chatted with the director, Ruben Östlund. We talked about his inspiration, what he wants the audience to take away from this film, and a fun fact about him…
What was your inspiration for this film?
It started eight years ago when I met my wife, she’s a fashion photographer, so I got very interested and curious to know her take on the fashion industry. She told me a lot about the models, I was especially interested in the male models, I thought it was interesting that they could come from very different parts of society – some coming from the working class and climbing in a class society because of their looks. The theme of the film started from beauty as a currency and so I wanted to look at that in three different environments: the fashion world, on a luxury yacht, and on a deserted island, where you take away all the hierarchies and swift over the power pyramid.
What do you wish for the audience to take away from this film?
We live in a society where we are constantly pointing our fingers at individuals like, “shame on you” or “good guy” or “bad guy” and I have been interested, in all my movies, to step back a little bit and look at the context of the situation to see what is creating our behavior. I take a sociological approach [in the narrative of the film], so, it examines how the position we have in a financial and social structure is going to change our behavior.
Tell us a fun fact about Ruben.
I came from making ski films from the beginning, so I was filming skiing in the Alps and Alaska, editing them in the summers, and shooting them in the winter. I did this for five years before I decided to go to film school and started to direct.
The Triangle of Sadness refers to the area at the top of the nose and between the eyebrows, fixed with Botox – the perfect title for the satirical comedy with wild twists and turns.
In theatres, on October 7th, this is a must-watch movie that will make you laugh, turn away in disgust and leave you with lingering thoughts on our role in society.
Film accolades
Palme d’Or — Cannes Film Festival 2022
Official Selection — Toronto International Film Festival 2022
