Carl also learns about his “triangle of sadness”,the area at the top of the nose and between the eyebrows which apparently can be corrected with a shot of Botox (it’s one of the great movie titles).
Later Carl’s influencer girlfriend Yaya (Charibi Dean) takes him on an all-expenses-paid Mediterranean cruise on a staggeringly lavish yacht where they meet,among others,a Russian oligarch who’s made a fortune selling fertiliser (a harbinger of truly gross things to come),an elderly British couple who made their money dealing arms and who lament the outbreak of peace,and a desperately lonely tech billionaire who offers expensive gifts to anyone who pays him attention.
As the passengers’ requests get more and more absurd – in one wickedly funny sequence the Russian crap king’s Marie Antoinette-ish wife demands that the crew put aside their duties and jump on the water slide – the Marxist captain of the vessel (Woody Harrelson) hides in his room drinking himself stupid and ranting about the inequities of capitalism and the coming revolution. That revolution comes when they end up stranded on an island and the upstairs and downstairs sides of the equation are reversed.
Triangle of Sadness is the latest in a series of movies and television series that mercilessly send up the elite,that narrow economic and social strand who dress exclusively in designer outfits,holiday in eye-poppingly beautiful resorts and eat in Michelin-starred restaurants.
There’s the recently ended second series ofThe White Lotus,about a group of indulged Americans ensconced in an artwork-laden hotel in the Sicilian beachside town of Taormina;there’s the feature filmThe Menu,in which a group of rich foodies dine in a restaurant located on an island off the coast of California presided over by a master chef on a murderous mission;there’sSuccession,about a Murdoch-inspired media clan who behave like corrupted royals of another age;and,releasing soon,there isTar,in which Oscar-bound Cate Blanchett plays a conductor whose book-lined Berlin apartment and to-die-for wardrobe showcases a life of breathtaking privilege.
While we relish in the punishments meted out to these entitled idiots – even Blanchett’s genius musician fails to see the asteroid heading in her direction – each time I read in a review of these marvellously provocative works that the characters are far removed from our reality,I flinch.