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a12 people & arts
Monday 23 May 2022

'Triangle of Sadness':

Biting social satire delights Cannes

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer
CANNES, France (AP) —
Fashion models, Instagram
influencers and Russian oli-
garchs collide on a yacht
— and some very extreme
sickness ensues — in Ruben
Östlund's "Triangle of Sad-
ness," a social satire that
had viewers at the Cannes
Film Festival in hysterics.
The Swedish filmmaker's
latest, co-starring Woody
Harrelson as a Marxist boat
captain, has made one of Jean-Christophe Folly, from left, Vicki Berlin, Woody Harrelson,
the biggest splashes at this and Ruben Östlund pose for photographers at the photo call for
year's festival. At its pre- the film 'Triangle of Sadness' at the 75th international film festival,
Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 22, 2022.
miere Saturday evening, Associated Press
there were such waves of
laughter and applause thinking about had a wild heads against each other,"
that Östlund on Sunday set-up." says Östlund. "All of a sud-
compared it to a crowd at "Triangle of Sadness," which den, we're back in that in
a soccer match. is playing in competition some way."
Östlund has already found for this year's Palme d'Or, "I was brought up in a
an international audience is named after a term in home where you talk
for movies that take an the fashion world for a about society and a lot of
uproarious, uncomfortable triangle-shaped crease the ideas that influenced
aim at money, masculinity between the eyebrows. the politics in the '60s," says
and other big social targets The first third of Östlund's Östlund. "Marx has been
in films like the Alpine mari- film follows a male model someone that's present in
tal drama "Force Majeure" played by Harris Dickinson discussions in my home. If
(remade as "Downhill," with and his influencer girlfriend you talk about human be-
Julia Louis Dreyfus and Will portrayed by Charlbi Dean havoir and you have a ma-
Ferrell) and the art-world who argue over picking up terialistic viewpoint on why
satire "The Square," which a check after dinner. we behave as we behave,
won the Palme d'Or top Other riffs on fashion follow, then it becomes almost im-
prize at Cannes in 2017. but "Triangle of Sadness" possible not to talk about
But in his first English-lan- moves into another gear class."Harrelson has quickly
guage film, and with a in its second act, when become a great fan of Öst-
budget twice that of "The they take a trip on a luxu- lund. On Sunday, he told
Square," Östlund wanted ry yacht captained by a reporters that making "The
to go even further with his drunk socialist (Harrelson). Triangle of Sadness" was
particular brand of "roller- The boat's uber rich tour- a "revitalizing" experience
coaster for adults" cinema. ists include weapons mak- and announced that he'll
"I wanted to do some- ers and a Russian fertilizer be in Östlund's next film,
thing that's worth leaving magnate played by Zlatko whether the director wants
your home and leaving Burić. him or not. (The plans are
your screens, leaving the "Triangle of Sadness" reach- genuine. Östlund said the
streaming services you es a comic crescendo film will be titled "The Enter-
have at home," Östlund when the seas turn rough, tainment System Is Down.")
said ahead of the film's and an elaborate dinner "He can make you ex-
premiere. "I didn't want to ends up a farce of vomit- tremely uncomfortable,"
get stuck in the art house ing — and worse — while Harrelson said. "He makes
part of cinema-making. I the captain and oligarch you think. He can give you
was really looking into that I debate politics. a sense of meaning, like
felt I enjoyed watching my- "During my upbringing, East there was a purpose to
self. And the project I was and West were hitting their seeing the film — and per-
haps more importantly, he
makes you laugh through-
out. Which is quite a trick."
Östlund granted that win-
ning the Palme d'Or previ-
ously added pressure to
making "Triangle of Sad-
ness." But given the enthu-
siastic response from fes-
tivalgoers, Östlund could
find himself in the mix again
for Cannes' top prizes.q