Satirical films, when done right, have great content to enjoy.
The film “Triangle Of Sadness” lands right for a dark, satirical film and was showcased at Keene State’s Putnam Theatre from Jan. 27 to 30.
Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean Kriek, Dolly De Leon and Woody Harrelson, the film is split up into three parts and follows Carl (Dickinson), a male model, and his girlfriend Yaya (Kriek), a female model and influencer. With these characters, the theme of gender roles plays a significant role throughout the film.
The first part deals with a date with Carl and Yaya, where the couple is seen arguing over paying the bill. Within the modeling world stated by the film, female models earn more than their male counterparts. This is the first time the topic of gender roles appears in the story.
The second part of the film takes place on a yacht. Yaya and Carl get to experience the cruise, but have to promote it on social media. On this yacht there are guests,who are rich, the crew, and the captain. This portion of the film has great cinematography of the ocean that makes you feel like you are on the yacht. You also see the personalities of the rich while experiencing the yacht.
Paula, the general manager of the yacht, commends the experience of the cruise while problems arise. At this point in the film, the theme of classism arises, such as within the discussion between the captain (Harrelson) talking about Marxism with a Russian Oligarch. Over the course of the yacht scenes in the film, you see portrayals of how the rich act and operate on cruises like this.
Carl and Yaya meet other guests on the cruise, like the Russian Oligarch, Dimitry, a married couple who made a fortune manufacturing weapons, a German woman named Therse, who suffered from a stroke and can’t speak, and a lonely Swedish millionaire named Jarmo.
Paula wants a perfect experience for the guests so she tells her staff to fulfill any request they ask and, later on, a guest takes advantage of that rule.
After a captain’s dinner where many guests experience sea sickness, pirates take over the boat and capsize the vessel. The third part takes place on an island. This portion showcases the gender roles of women taking charge and being the survivors of the group. For example, Abigail, a service worker on the yacht, shows up in a boat with food and water for the group. She becomes the leader of the group by displaying the signs of a leader.
Overall, this film is a dark satire poking fun at rich people’s life, classism, and gender roles. I enjoyed the dialogue, the chemistry between Carl & Yaya, the satire, the cinematography, and the score.
Shawn Belden can be contacted at
shawn.belden@keene.edu
