How to eat the rich
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS director Ruben Östlund on his scabrous satire
Here: Carl (second right, Harris Dickinson) and fellow male models sport their fake smiles.
OF ALL THE films to rip into the wealthy and privileged lately — and there have been a fair few — none have been as scathing, or as funny, or indeed as pooey, as Triangle Of Sadness. It’s a black comedy about an ensemble of eccentrically terrible rich people whose luxury cruise ends in shipwreck and ignominy. In his English-language debut, writer-director Ruben Östlund found numerous routes to satirise the mega-rich and the mega-thick — as he explains here.
STRIKE A POSE
The opening sequence, which sees Carl (Harris Dickinson) and a gaggle of male models forced to demonstrate the difference between luxury-brand poses (sultry, serious looks) and high-street fashion poses (cheesy smiles), was a concept plucked from real life. “My wife is a fashion photographer,” says Östlund. “She told me that the more exclusive the brand gets, the more that smile disappears. It’s almost like the model is looking down on the consumer — they’re communicating that these brands are positioning themselves at the top of the hierarchy, and you can also buy yourself a position up at the top of the hierarchy if you buy these clothes.” It’s a playful and cheeky way to start, but these opening scenes are central to the film’s main themes. “Our clothes are basically a camouflage that we pick according to which social group we feel connected to,” Östlund says. “I thought this could bring up aspects of the film that I thought was interesting — this idea of beauty as a currency.”