Money, sex, politics. These are the three biggest motivating factors that drive human behavior. These wants–a triangle of desires, if you will–also make for a ripe comedy of errors, in acclaimed Swedish writer/director Ruben Östlund’s latest, Triangle of Sadness. Receiving both an eight-minute standing ovation and winning the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Östlund’s sixth feature film once again transports audiences into an elite society where the rules of reality are blurred, dignity is destroyed, and mayhem lurks around every corner.

Triangle of Sadness is split into three acts. The first of which dives into the backstory of our main protagonists, high fashion models Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean). As they navigate the nuances of their relationship, gender politics come into play pretty quickly–given that they work in one of the few industries where women are paid more than men. Little things like who picks up the check become long debates where traditional vs feminist stereotypes are discussed, picked apart, and thrown out the window. But they’re determined to make it work, whether or not they’re truly in love (or just in lust).

The next time we see Carl and Yaya, they’re aboard a multi-million yacht, which Yaya was gifted because of her “influencer” status. Carl and Yaya embrace being in the company of the ultra-rich, all the while noticing their chunky jewelry and thick cigars. They befriend a cast of kooky characters, all flawed by either ignorance, misplaced empathy, or hierarchical standards. Although, the luxury cruise proves to be anything but relaxing. With a drunk Captain (Woody Harrelson) at the helm, chaos ensues. Complete, utter chaos. Trigger warning time: if the sight of vomit makes you gag, you need to look away for at least a solid 10 minutes during the Captain’s dinner scene. Trust me.

It’s best going into act three without knowing too much, so I’ll just leave it at this: Parasite meets “Gilligan’s Island.”

I can’t go on without addressing Charlbi Dean’s unexpected passing prior to the film’s release in theaters. Her talent in Triangle of Sadness–her feature film debutis magnetic. It’s truly a heartbreaking loss for the industry as a whole that we won’t get to see more of her. Harris Dickinson is equally as charming, his natural sense of humor and spot-on mannerisms elevate every scene he’s in. Triangle of Sadness‘s secret weapon, however, is in the ensemble cast comprised of Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Henrik Dorsin, and Vicki Berlin. Kudos to casting director Pauline Hansson for putting together such a perfect group! The characters are written so strong on their own but when they’re all together, that’s when the magic happens. There were a handful of line deliveries and bits of dialogue that had me laughing so hard I was crying.

Triangle of Sadness runs about 2 hours 30 minutes. Even though that could have been cut down by at least 15 minutes, the payoff at the end is well worth it. Ruben Östlund’s script plants the seeds in the first act, waters them in the second, and they have a massive growth spurt in the final act. Triangle of Sadness is a triumph and one I haven’t stopped thinking about since first watching it.

149 minutes. Triangle of Sadness is distributed by NEON.

Morgan Rojas

Certified fresh. For disclosure purposes, Morgan currently runs PR at PRETTYBIRD and Ventureland.