Watch ‘Triangle of Sadness’ for the mindf—k, for fun, for all that s—t

The 2022 Palme d'Or-winning Triangle of Sadness is a crappy movie. No one warned me that there would be scenes showing people rolling around in poop. And vomit. It's a good thing I've consumed my banh mi and iced coffee way before the opening credits started.

There were parts in the film when I was tempted to leave. Because cringe. Because I was feeling seasick inside Rockwell Cinema.

But isn't that the power of a medium, when it succeeds to make you feel the discomfort, the disgust, the terror of the tragedy it is portraying?

Such is the draw of Triangle of Sadness — it made me want to get through the literally shitty parts, because I felt there would be a good payoff. The pain of wading through crap might be well worth it.

And now that I have put that trigger warning out of the way, let me just say that I find this movie by Swedish director Ruben Östlund deeply satisfying — crap and vomit notwithstanding.

It's a narrative, a satirical commentary about class systems. It's a story about the socio-economic divide fashion brands try to either gloss over or exploit, what woke brands quixotically try and fail to change. It's a story about being in the right place at the right time and how having more shit than others enables you to rule the world.

It's also a story about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, when all hell breaks loose and you find yourself on an island with a motley crew of castaways.

It's funny. Dark. Thought provoking.

I particularly love the subplot about how the things that elevate our lives can also be the same shit that kills us. Or damages us.

And, of course, I love Dolly de Leon — the reason I watched the film in the first place. It's hard to talk about her character without giving too much away. So, you really have to see it. Worth it. Just finish whatever you're eating right away.

It's the kind of movie that fills you up while you're consuming it. Disturbing. Richly layered. Meaty. Spiked with bitterness and sourness and spiced with international flavor. Definitely not your garden variety comfort food.

You feel you've had enough. But it leaves more in between your teeth to chew on, hours after watching the film, asking yourself questions that go beyond — what did that ending mean? Digesting, processing what the movie says about society and the roles we play in it.

I don't know how this post turned from shit metaphors to food metaphors. Anyway, watch it. For Dolly — because she's delightful in it. For the laughs and the moments when you wonder if it's proper to laugh because it's also sad — the inconvenient truths of this world are just so hilariously sad. For the mind f**k. For fun. For the Oscar buzz. For all that s**t.