Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Written by jw on November 28, 2022

sketched, never completed

Looks like the director/writer had some notes, and didn't get around to write a complete script. So the movie starts out very promising, but then gradually runs out of ideas, until the last half is just ticking off the boxes of expected items.

The quirky, funny look into modelling is followed by a well cast and (in some moments) acted part about relationship issues between inexperienced, clueless, and selfish people. We learn that the naïve male model is actually in love, while his female model/influencer counterpart tells him he's nice entertainment until she finds a rich guy to be trophy wife for. This doesn't deter him... and that was the promising bit.

Next, they are on a luxury yacht for the decadents; and there is still potential for a really good story: the upstairs/downstairs angle is only implemented in a few scenes, most screen time of this part is spent on lavish dining with icky "haute cuisine" food in rough seas, and the consequences thereof.

That was when the really good part could've started: how to they meet or avoid gazes the next day, the day after? What has changed, how, what shouldn't and how do class barriers break?

Instead, we get a clownish intermezzo and next, the boring island section. This part is just tedious agitprop, reducing the (already shallow) characters to templates, and doing all the expected bits. Waste of time, talent, and a nice beach.

For some reason, people are so content with half-baked products these days, you can even win prizes this way. 5/10, there's better ways to waste time, but this isn't the worst either.