Film: “Triangle of Sadness”

What would happen if you were suddenly marooned on a remote island with 7 other strangers? And most of you had no life skills or means of survival?

This is not the plot of “Gilligan’s Island” but just one of the many events that beset the main players in “Triangle of Sadness,” Ruben Ostland’s acute, devastating satire of the 1 percent of the 1 percent.

Who are these white super-privileged shmoes? In no particular order, they include a BF and GF model couple (Charlbi Dean Creek and Harris Dickinson); a vulgar Russian oligarch and his equally vulgar wife (Zlatko Burić and Sunnyi Melles); a homely single gazillionaire (Henrik Dorsin); a British couple (Oliver Ford Davies and Amanda Walker) who got rich making parts for hand grenades; and other assorted entitled gentlemen and ladies. They’re guests on a super-luxurious yacht, captained by a drunk (Woody Harrelson). And without giving away too much of the plot, the passengers are beset by a series of events that you shouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

The point of the film is that in those clutch moments, having all the money in the world will not save you, or buy you happiness for more than a moment.  Without money, class differences become meaningless, gender roles may flip, and sex, not cash, buys power

So my take? “TOS” is a cynical, savagely funny film that requires a bit of patience to understand. But do stick with it, and you’ll see why it was nominated for best pic of 2022. (Seems to have slipped right past my radar last year; make sure it registers on yours.)