Filmmaker Ruben Östlund explains what went into designing and filming on a luxury yacht for this year’s buzzy cruise ship satire ‘Triangle of Sadness.’
This history curb mild spoilers forTriangle of Sadness .
Most ofTriangle of Sadnesstakes place on a European sail that ’s so expensive , only the mega - wealthy can give a cabin . The Cannes Palme d’Or - winning hit ( out now in theaters ) follows model / influencer twosome Carl and Yaya ( Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean ) as they ’re invited for devoid to wine and dine alongside vacationing billionaires . While the models themselves are of an elite class , able to vacation in exchange for pictures on Instagram , even they find that they ’re outsider on the ship , discovering that most other guest bring in their supreme riches by exploiting the system .
Aboard a pristine ship sail on pee that could n’t be more blue and where there ’s minuscule else to do but slacken , a sail was simply the perfect mise en scene , according to Swedish film producer Ruben Östlund , when he thought of writing and directing a moving-picture show about the racy and beautiful . peculiarly view how prevalent image of celebrity and influencers lounging on yacht have become on our provender , the construct was always what he had in mind .
Arvin Kananian and Woody Harrelson in ‘Triangle of Sadness’|NEON
The theater director want the picture show to be a profligate takedown of the ways in which the wealthy wield ability — similar to his retiring social satires , like how 2014’sForce Majeuredealt with ego - interest on a fellowship vacation gone wrong and 2017’sThe Squaretakedown of the nontextual matter universe . So not only was a cruise the perfect symbol for affluence and course of study — with its upper and lower deck , and crowd cater to every impulse of those sun by the pool — it was the perfect recipe for disaster . WhileTriangle of Sadnessridicules the lack of ego - awareness of the voyagers aboard the ship , including Russian oligarchs and British arms dealers , it ’s also an insistent eat - the - rich classic , as one night of choppy waters subjects them to total naupathia - have degradation and , later , an ouroboros of a wreck .
The inspiration forTriangle of Sadnessfirst came from Östlund ’s wife , Sina Östlund , and her employment as a way photographer . His curiosity about hierarchies in the fashion industry and hearing about her shoots on yachts made him realize that he " wanted to make a flick about beaut as a currentness , and that beauty can become a currency that can make you go up in class society , and I arrest interested in putting these people on a derelict island , " he say . What better way to put them there , hale them to fend for themselves without know any kind of natural selection skills , than making their exclusive ship go down ?
In search the project , Östlund spend 10 day on a Sea Cloud sailing sail in the Mediterranean , departing from Italy and travel to Sardinia , Corsica , and Spain . When it came clip for production , the purpose was always to scoot as much as possible on a racing yacht . But Östlund did n’t look into take on just any yacht . He essay out one of the most famed in history : Christina O , the well-nigh 100 - m vessel once own by Aristotle and Jackie Kennedy Onassis .
Charlbi Dean and Harris Dickinson|NEON
" I could n’t help myself , " Östlund says , of paying the gravy holder ’s sinewy letting fee for nine day . " Onassis was the rich person in the world during the ' 70s , and onChristina Owas fundamentally where the Western elite group gathered . Churchill , Kennedy , Marilyn Monroe , and Maria Callas — basically everyone that were whiz at that clock time spent metre on that racing yacht . So when we started to do inquiry and look for the yacht [ to apply ] , I could n’t help myself of think this is symbol value , and how fun it would be to blow it up in the air . "
Even before the yacht blow up after a pirate attack , Triangle of Sadnessis like watching capitalist economy turtle in real meter . It ’s constantly working the class dynamics between the crew and the wealthy Guest , but it ’s one picture in particular — actually inspired by an Italian counter that was dish up on the sail Östlund went on in preparation during scratchy conditions and got passengers airsick — when the veneer of luxury is stripped away , turning the stern client into projectile vomiting , diarrhea - having sacks of flesh .
During the night of the captain ’s dinner , the Marxist captain ( Woody Harrelson ) refuse to man the ship as it sails through stormy sea , make guestsverysick . To captivate the wooziness as the camera itself lolls side - to - side , the director and his partner / stage set designer Josefin Åsberg opt to build up a set . " I necessitate her , ' Do you think it ’s possible to work up a full dining way of a lavishness racing yacht in a studio on a gimbal that we can rock so much that the piece of furniture starts slither ? ' " Östlund recalls . " And she is a someone that is completely crazy , so she said , ' Yes , countenance ’s do this ! ' "
Zlatko Buric and Carolina Gynning|NEON
The place ’s lavish , regal carpet , nautical accent , grand piano , and blanched table cloths of the dining room seamless fit with theChristina O ’s grand interior . " Sometimes when you bug out a project like this , you think , No , I was really crazy when I father the idea , " he say , " But if you start to look at the detail that are built in that solidifying , it was so beautifully done . " That is , until everything gets drenched in vomit and the excretory product from explode toilets , as the captain would rather get into a bibulous socialist economy - vs - capitalism quoting equal with a Russian " shit vender " ( Zlatko Buric ) than commandeer the vessel to safety .
Before the passengers ' multi - course dinner gets puked up , the repast feature oysters , octopus , gelée , and more feels as integral to the cruise ’s air as the actual dining way . " We had a good Michelin chef train the food for us , " Östlund say . " So we say , ' Okay , we want you to make the dishes in a path that would be , What would be the most horrible dish if it came on a plate in front of you and you ’re seat and dealing with naupathia ? ' And he was like , ' Okay , now I know what the butt is . No trouble ! ' "
Östlund see the dishes were plated to expect more confutable than eatable , in line with the maitre d' ’s proletariat - O.K. burger and child , because he does n’t care fine dining . " I always feel , as before long as you go in these Michelin eating place , the ridiculousness of every dish comes in , " he says . Coincidentally , Östlund was capable to confab his casting managing director who chance to be well - versed in gourmet restaurants , as her husband go a Michelin - starred validation in Stockholm . " She say me it ’s very often that they have to clean up the toilets because people are throwing up , " he says , " people are purge because there ’s so much intellectual nourishment . "
Beside the detail to the ship ’s food , its sailing path ( and where the client eventually get shipwreck ) was cautiously considered . Not only did a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean feel more posh than an American cruise departing from Florida into the Caribbean , Östlund explain he want to look past our typical ideas of tropic abandoned islands for where the few that made it off the boat ended up stranded . With a crown from one of the motion-picture show ’s Greek producers , they face into Chiliadou , a beach on the Greek island of Evia .
" The beach is so beautiful and we loved the environment , this striking setting , but we had a problem , " Östlund says . " There are nudist anarchists that pay heed out on this beach … How do you convince anarchist to let them move away from the beach and let us inject there ? " With some convincing ( " We ’re brother ! An ally ! " ) , the crew capture access to the picturesque , rocky emplacement that looks like the wealthy would otherwise helicopter to and vacation on , were they not pariah .
Aside from institute his girl onto theChristina Oand follow them social club round of iced tea leaf , one of Östlund ’s favorite memories film on the yacht was see Sunnyi Melles and Alicia Eriksson play out the moment in which Melles ' wife of a Russian oligarch demands a crew penis to relish the jacuzzi full clothed , and , eventually , for the entire stave to go down the waterslide . ( The waterslide does in fact go to theChristina O. " It seems like that ’s what the rich people want to do when they go on a sail : They want to go on a waterslide ! " Östlund say . )
" When I did research , something that was interesting was it turn out it ’s not so unusual that [ guests ] actually enquire the crowd to go for a swimming , " he says . " I thought it was a very interesting aspect of maltreatment of power — instead of pushing someone down , thinking , I’m offering something squeamish for you . When you look at king structures , we often describe the gratifying part of power is to hold in other citizenry , but I think a very gratifying part of powerfulness is the one that is being generous . "
That distorted generosity is certainly a punchline ofTriangle of Sadness , which itself is never generous to its mostly ultra - inside characters . In the film , their affluence was always rebound to sink .
