In “Triangle of Sadness” influencers and the rich are severely tormented

Ships full of super-rich are doomed to sink. At least in the movie. So it is in James Cameron’s Titanic, in Federico Fellini’s E la nave va, and now in Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle of Sadness. The reasons are different: Cameron hits the iceberg, Fellini the turmoil of World War I, Östlund a storm plus pirates. And all three whine about the decadence of the passengers and the fact that they really deserve nothing but perish, very nice and satisfying.

But let’s start at the beginning. Featuring models and influencers Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean). The two are a couple and that brings up the dumbest of all couple problems: the fashion world is extremely unfair in terms of gender, as a man Carl is much less valuable than the successful Yaya, even though he would like to have equal rights. In addition, the male modeling scene in Östlund is just as stupid as in “Zoolander” and Carl strongly recommends botoxing his wrinkles above his nose, his triangle of sadness.

The quarrel that ensues at the expensive dinner is shabby, painful, unnecessary and enormously perfectly observed, as Östlund has documented a dinner between him and his wife Sina (she is a fashion photographer and knows all about the reality of “Zoolander”) long ago. . Anyone who has ever seen a couple at the next table in a restaurant talking in a completely unnecessary conflict will not be able to get out of the nod of agreement.

But these scenes of Couples Hell’s rocking deck are just the opening credits. The headliner takes place on a luxury cruise. The staff is sworn in with silly motivational slogans and the advice to always remember to tip, total obedience applies. Yaya and Carl are invited, they just have to post a lot of nice pictures.

The two make their living from sheer self-centeredness, which is almost the most innocent occupation in the luxury passenger pool. The others earn their eccentricities by selling things. From “Shit”, for example, as the Russian fertilizer monopolist calls his goods.

And the shit hits back. Direct and relentless. In the storm that erupts, rotten stomachs defecate and toilets overflow with an unprecedented thoroughness (hopefully!)

It’s like being reborn in disgust for twenty minutes, but two remain stable: the Russian and the otherwise very misanthropic captain (Woody Harrelson). And because one is a Russian capitalist and the other an American Marxist, they have a war of words about the PA system that is as magical as it is mannered.

As if the realization that even the most pleasant surfaces hide nothing but shit wasn’t enough, the ship is capsized by pirates. Capital no longer counts in the storm’s afterlife. Set on an island and under a brand new leadership, the question now is: can handsome Carl appease that leadership with all he can? Is he ultimately the most valuable of the survivors thanks to his gable end? Is there finally satisfaction for Carl?

“Triangle of Sadness” is a grotesque that introduces nothing but crooked levels into classical hierarchies and radically unbalances them. In the cinema, this is captivatingly funny right up to the somewhat too imaginative island sequence, but after that it’s also latently simple. And when you consider that Östlund again won the Palme d’Or for best picture at Cannes after his parody of the art scene “The Square”, you get the feeling that the whole glam bang scene approaches Östlund’s films in a pleasantly masochistic way. . punishment mirror turns.

By the way, the saddest thing about “Triangle of Sadness” is something very real. The death of the lead actress. Charlbi Dean, just 32, died on August 29 in a hospital in New York from a serious infectious disease. Just a day after she discovered the first symptoms. It is a shock to her family and to the “Triangle” crew. As Yaya, she seems invincible.

“Triangle of Sadness” will hit many Swiss cinemas from October 14.