How ‘Triangle of Sadness’ takes us on a voyage in social class

Ruben Östlund’s must-see “Triangle of Sadness” is a three-part voyage of blissful chaos that cleverly flips the script on social class when a luxury cruise ship is hijacked, leaving a handful of its upper-crust passengers stranded on an island. It’s here that Abigail (Dolly De Leon) rises from unseen help to “Captain” of their survival. This frame captures Abigail’s realization that her newfound power is all but over (and raises the question of what she might do to keep it) while she embraces model-influencer Yaya, (Charlbi Dean). “I love that there’s some tenderness to the image,” Östlund says. “I didn’t want it to be personal, and Abigail doesn’t have anything against Yaya as a person, but the violence that might happen moments later is connected to the outside circumstances of the situation. Abigail wants to maintain her position in the hierarchy.” The film comments on human ecology and behavior through a reticent (and sometimes) absurd lens. “I think we’re living in a time where we’re almost staring ourselves blind trying to find the individual,” Östlund says. “I’m very interested in sociology, because it takes a step back and looks at the context of human beings and doesn’t place blame on the individual.”