Now showing: Ruben Östlund's Triangle of Sadness

For the record, any of Ruben Östlund's previous features (as well as his one-take short "Incident by a Bank") is way better than his latest, the Palme d'Or-winner "Triangle of Sadness". Though this doesn't in any way diminish its merits, one can feel that with this film, the Swedish auteur is gradually gearing his way towards the mainstream (ala-Bong Joon-ho with "Snowpiercer" and "Okja";he somewhat went back to form with "Parasite", but this one has become so popular that it might as well be called "mainstream"). I already have an idea how Östlund's films work, but I practically went into "Triangle of Sadness" blind. That is to say, I hadn't read any review or seen any trailer of the film. The one review that I initially came across before, I only read the first two paragraphs, which didn't even say much about the film. Though I was aware that there was some kind of hype surrounding it, most especially here in our country as one of the cast is a Filipino (but there are other Filipino characters in the film, too), none other than Dolly de Leon (who played a corrupt journalist in last year's "The Missing 8"). But we'll get to this particular aspect later. 

So, how was "Triangle of Sadness"? 

Come to think of it, for the price of one, you get three films here, neatly divided into three chapters. The first, titled "Carl and Yaya", is all about the fashion-model couple and how their relationship is bound to end sooner or later, with their constant bickering even over the smallest of matters, despite bringing up such woke concepts as "gender roles" and "gender equality". As Östlund is wont to do, there's a dig at the fashion industry, particularly in the opening scenes. But one feels that the attack may be a bit outdated already, as we're all aware how politically correct we have become when judging appearances - like freckles, scars, being fat, being black, being brown and being hairy can and should be beautiful, too. For me, the most hilarious part is the never-ending bickering of Carl and Yaya (played respectively by the perfectly-cast Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean), from the fine-dine restaurant to the cab, up until the hotel elevator, before patching things up - or do they? - in their room, with Carl swearing that he'll make Yaya really love him. In a certain way, this establishes who these characters really are. This first part is very much a film on its own. 

In the second part, titled "The Yacht", we find the couple landing a free slot in a luxury cruise ship, part of the perks of being a popular social media influencer. This is an opportunity not so much for Carl and Yaya to bond even more as to up their market-value as celebrities (though we learn earlier that Yaya is earning more than Carl as a model, with the latter still struggling to land a big gig in the industry). Here, the two get to meet some of the wealthiest persons who can reasonably afford such an ultra-expensive luxury. But the catch is that when put alongside the mega-rich (there's the "sh*t" seller and the grenade manufacturer and the one who can buy you all the Rolex that you want), Carl and Yaya prove to be the poorest of them all. Carl, in particular, comes off as something like a fish out of water or a lamb in the lions' den. In this part, Östlund gets to best use his satirical fangs - and how much he enjoys doing so! The attack against the bourgeoisie is direct, savage and lethal. The director's Buñuelian streak is unmistakable. This is no more mouthed explicitly than by the disdainful and always-drunk American captain of the ship (Woody Harrelson in such an ironic role), who regards himself as a Marxist rather than a communist. Here, Östlund gets to stage some outrageous setpieces, most notably the captain's dinner, which literally reduces the guests to the filth that they really are. But one may still think: No matter how we may enjoy seeing the rich wallow in unsavory fluids and excrements, do they really deserve this? Östlund is a master of group psychology and social behavior, something that goes all the way back to his first feature, "The Guitar Mongoloid". But I'm worried that the suave savagery and subtle insights that he displayed in his prior works (reaching their best in "Force Majeure" and "The Square") have been taken over by the all-too-blunt polemics of "Triangle of Sadness". Nevertheless, this part of the film is remarkably entertaining. 

The third part, called "The Island", is where I have some problems. Here, we find a small fraction of the passengers (Carl and Yaya included) being stranded on an island after the ship explodes and sinks when pirates (!) attack it with a grenade. This one becomes something of a mix of the novels "The Swiss Family Robinson", "Robinson Crusoe" and "Lord of the Flies", as well as having a similar scenario from Michel Franco's "New Order", where the social hierarchy is upended and the one who was once at the bottom (represented here by the ship's toilet manager, portrayed by De Leon) finds the opportunity to get back at those who were once at the top. A "matriarchy" (as Yaya amusingly calls it) has been established. It pays to know how to catch fish, make a fire and cook, huh? Not only do you get everyone to recognize you as the "captain", but you also get to seduce the group's "cutie pie" as well. There are a few funny parts and some unpredictable moments here, but I get the feeling that Östlund is merely rambling through at this point, so much so that it has almost become your standard stranded-on-an-island fare, at times even a gag show. Could've been more unsettling if, like in "New Order", murders are committed left and right to prove the decadence and madness of the breakdown of the social hierarchy. Though I guess killing off somebody in a movie isn't really part of Östlund's oeuvre, though it's quite surprising that there's an unbearable scene of animal cruelty in the film. 

Another thing is that the character who has practically commanded the third part, the Filipino toilet manager Abigail, is someone that I can't fully emphatize with. Simply because I don't know anything about her other than, uhm, she's the one in-charge of ensuring the cleanliness of the yacht. As a matter of fact, in the second part the character can only be seen in just two scenes. And by the time the film reaches the 95-minute mark, we get to see her once again and from thereon, she's already planning to do something drastic about her social standing. But why? Other than the outward appearance of she being the servant and them being the boss, what really prompted her to take such an action? Even when it's later brought up in passing that she has no kids, there's simply no backstory to Abigail. Quite lamentable, because as an actress, De Leon gives all her best to make the character truly outrageous, despite being underwritten. 

And do I even have to mention the final scene that's more confounding than satisfying? It's like after all the steam that the director has properly gathered throughout, he would end on something of a letdown. But don't get me wrong, because despite some of my contentions, I still think that Östlund deserves his second Palme d'Or. He's certainly one of the best satirists in modern cinema. "Triangle of Sadness" may be gearing more or less towards the mainstream, but the arthouse sensibilities of the director are still not lost. At this point, Östlund is already planning on his next film, which he calls "The Entertainment System is Down" and will revolve this time around airplane passengers. So I guess there'll be first-class, business-class and economy-class divisions here.