Winner of the Palme d’Or in 2017 for The Square, Ruben Östlund returns to Cannes with a savage satire that skewers the western world’s obsession with wealth, status, and appearance while delivering a roller-coaster of laughter and provocation.
“We wanted it to be a roller coaster, funny and engaging for adults, a movie you can watch together in a theater and then talk about on the way out,” the Swedish director explained at the press conference held this weekend.
Östlund makes his English-language debut with a cast that includes American actor Woody Harrelson. The film blends European intellectual cinema with a brisk, entertainment-focused energy that aims to reach a broader audience. “We Europeans often watch films with arms folded, taking them too seriously,” the director noted, delighted by the Cannes audience’s warm reaction to the characters during the late-night preview, as if a football match were unfolding in real time.
The narrative unfolds in three acts, opening at a fashion show and concluding on a deserted island. The title, triangle of sadness, nods to the fashion world’s obsession with striving to hide flaws, like the brows that many models conceal with Botox, a practice that has become a symbol of market value in beauty culture.
The first act follows a group of models and social media influencers, including Carl and Yaya, as they navigate a dispute over a bill. Östlund describes this segment as a gateway to his broader examination of beauty and commerce. “Eight years ago I met a fashion photographer who introduced me to that world, and we began talking about how beauty functions as market value, both glamorous and terrifying,” the director shared, highlighting how fashion can reflect deep societal dynamics.
The second act moves aboard a luxury cruise ship, where Carl and Yaya share the stage with a British gun-making couple, a Russian oligarch echoing Reagan’s era, and a solitary tech entrepreneur. Harrelson’s character, the captain, delivers a drunken Marxist voice that complicates the social order aboard the yacht. He remarks that he identifies as an anarchist rather than a communist, a distinction that adds humor while challenging assumptions about ideology and power.
Harrelson, who has earned three Oscar nominations, reflects on the experience: working with Östlund stands among the best of his career, a collaboration that unsettles audiences in ways that provoke thought as much as laughter. The actor describes the journey as a powerful exploration of class, privilege, and social performance.
During a dinner aboard the vessel, a storm forces the passengers indoors, amplifying the tension and inviting a series of entirely fabricated, laugh-inducing scenarios. Yet Östlund remains attentive to humanity, drawing inspiration from fellow Swedes like Roy Andersson to sustain a compassionate gaze even amid satire.
The final act occurs on a deserted island where the wealthy reveal limited practical talents. The power dynamics flip as Abigail, a Filipino cleaner aboard the yacht, rises to a position of influence, delivering a jarring reversal of roles. The actress who portrays Abigail says the film was driven by a desire to show how the most disadvantaged can unexpectedly seize control, and in a sense, rewrite the rules in a humorous light.
On the language shift, Östlund describes English as a logical step for broad reach, noting it is his second language. He envisions cinema that speaks to a global audience, even as he laments the Anglo-Saxon dominance in film and media. He also admits concerns that subtleties essential to his message might be misunderstood, underscoring the delicate balance between clarity and nuance in cross-language storytelling. The film thus stands as a bold attempt to bridge cultures while preserving a distinctly European sensibility about satire and humanity.