The opening scene of the just released Triangle of Sadness trailer–the upcoming feature film (and English-language debut) from Ruben Östlund that premiered in May at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and received an eight-minute standing ovation and the Palme d’Or–features a group of male models (shirtless and in jeans, 2000s Abercrombie-style) taking direction from a casting director. At the center stands English actor Harris Dickison, who plays Carl, making faces as the director prompts “Balenciaga, H&M, Balenciaga, H&M.” The models, in turn, switch from mall-brand smile to Paris-Fashion-Week-frown–or from “grumpy brand” to “smiley brand,” as the director puts it. Needless to say, the first twenty-two seconds of the trailer are a delicious serving of the fashion stereotypes we all love (yes, even us).
The highly anticipated film tells the story of a fashion model couple, Carl and Yaya–she’s also an influencer, of course–who get invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich (so far, so good) run by a seemingly Marxist captain (okay, promising so far) played by Woody Harrelson, only for them to become stranded (uh-oh), as the film’s logline reads.
From then on, the trailer takes us down a spiral of absurdity, familiar territory for fans of Östlund. From scenes that artfully, but seldom subtly, highlight the cringe of influencer behavior and the ostentation of high-luxury, the film promises a satirical, eat-the-rich read on the current state of mainstream culture and what it chases (and seems to prioritize). Oh and, by the way, good thing they mentioned Balenciaga—this kind of satirical and intellectual commentary sounds just down Demna’s alley.
“Triangle of Sadness” is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 7.