Triangle of Sadness

Directed by Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness follows an assortment of privileged characters, including Harris Dickinson’s Carl, Charlbi Dean’s Yaya, and Woody Harrelson’s Thomas, as they attempt to cope with an unexpected happening aboard a luxury yacht. Filmmaker Östlund, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a relentlessly erratic piece of work that does contain a number of striking set-pieces, including a terrific early scene involving an increasingly over-the-top argument about a restaurant cheque, and yet it’s equally clear that the movie’s overall impact is dulled significantly by a ludicrously overlong running time (149 minutes!) and final third that’s often rather interminable. There’s little doubt, then, that Triangle of Sadness fares best in a promising opening stretch rife with compelling, irresistibly awkward encounters and interactions (eg a wealthy guest essentially forces an employee to get into a hot tub), with the thoroughly watchable vibe heightened by a series of top-notch performances that elevate the proceedings on a regular basis. (Dickinson and Dean, cast as far-from-bright influencers, bring a surprising amount of depth to their potentially one-note characters, for example.) By the time the prolonged and often egregiously less-than-subtle third act rolls around, however, Triangle of Sadness has worn out its welcome to a fairly palpable extent and cemented its place as a disappointingly hit-and-miss endeavor that feels a good hour too long.

** out of ****