There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this past week’s premiere ofTriangle of Sadnessat theCannes Film Festival. The latest film fromRuben Östlund, the writer-director behindForce Majeure,which won the top prize in Un Certain Regard, and the Palme d’Or-winningThe Square, was easily one of the buzziest titles at the French Riveria this year, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the cutting satire is drawing a great deal of attention. Earlier today, it was revealed thatNeon, an on-the-rise film distributor that prides itself on releasing bold, provocative, and unconventional indies to a wide audience, has acquiredTriangle of Sadnessfollowing its world premiere. It’s unclear at the moment when they’re planning to release it, but the comedy could be released as early as this fall, notably if it follows suit withThe Squareand wins this year’s Palme d’Or.
AsTHRreported,Triangle of Sadnesscenters around a pompous model/influencer couple (Harris Dickinson,Charlbi Dean) who are left stranded on a desert island following a disastrous luxury cruise. Shipwrecked with a variety of billionaires, along with a cleaning lady, it doesn’t take long for tensions to mount on the island. But as these well-to-do billionaires find themselves ill-equipped to handle the task of, well, staying alive, social and financial hierarchies are swiftly turned upside down. The new film also starsWoody Harrelsonas the ship’s unfortunate captain. Asa witty, socially-conscious writer-directorwho likes to explore the fraught social strains that come with upholstered social conventions and bizarre personal/professional etiquettes, namely when it relates to men and their fragile sense of selves, it’s easy to see how Östlund could really excel with such a wacky and high-strung premise. Though, depending on whom you ask, Östlund’s newest feature is eitheranother lively, vibrant workor a disappointing step-down, notably compared to his previous two well-acclaimed features.
With reviewsrather evenly splitbetween fans and critics, it was reasonable to wonder what would become ofTriangle of Sadness' release. But Neon clearly has confidence in this film and its esteemed filmmaker. In the recent past, they’ve gone out of their way to highlight and companion unique works from famous and/or promising filmmakers, notably with the company distributing last year’s Palme d’Or winner,Titane, while also releasingDavid Cronenberg’sCrimes of the Future, which also premiered at this year’s Cannes in competition andis slated to come out next month. While some of the movie’s most vocal critics are outspoken in their distaste of the movie’s broader and loopier premise, especially compared to the director’s more squared-in works, maybe that broadness will allow the new comedy to reach a wider audience in the U.S.? Certainly, this is a film that’s worth keeping an eye on. It is also worth noting thatTriangle of Sadnessreceived an eight-minute standing ovation. So, it certainly has its fans.
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As the festival is winding down through its last few days, we’ll soon know what this year’s Palme d’Or winner will be. While it’s hard to know for sure ifTriangle of Sadnesswill get the prize,particularlywithPark Chan-wook’sDecision to Leavereceiving fantastic reviews, it does have a fair shot — especially withThe Squarebeing a surprise winner when it premiered back in 2017. Surely, ifTriangle of Sadnessends up taking the coveted award, we should expect to see Östlund’s latest movie projected in theaters nationwide in the next few months to come. If not, we can maybe assume that it’s slated to premiere in the spring or summer of next year. Of course, this is all speculation. So, we’ll hopefully have a better idea of when it is expected to debut sometime soon.
