I had to pinch my arm. All the big prizes were already awarded in the large Lumière salon in Cannes, many festival favorites had theirs. Only the Palme d’Or remains, and since Ruben Östlund and his entire team had been seen on the red carpet before so … Was it possible? Yes, quite unbelievably, it became a second golden palm for the Swedish director for his English-language sea distress satire “Triangle of sadness”.
It does not get bigger than this in the film world.
Of course, Ruben Östlund is not a newcomer to the Cannes Film Festival. Almost all of his films have over the years been invited to various side sections before he entered the Gold Palm competition with “The square” five years ago, and won. But the Swedish director does something that our time desperately needs and that few do as superbly as he does: goes in clinch with the present with humor and sociological gaze. Which probably this year’s jury – led by the renowned French actor Vincent Lindon – really wanted to listen to. An analytical filmmaker for our time.
Drastic, fun and sharp “Triangle of sadness”, which I had the chance to see before the festival, has been processed for several years. But nonetheless, it lands with an incredible timing. Here is a clever look at social and economic polarization where rich pigs have fun at sea while the servants take care of themselves, the arms trade that feeds the world’s conflicts, yes and even one with a damn Russian oligarch takes place on stage. As if that were not enough, the value of good prepping skills (the art of fishing and making fire) is also highlighted when a luxury yacht runs aground and passengers, as well as staff, end up on a desert island. A film that could not be more right, quite simply.
This is an unforgettable moment not only for Ruben Östlund but for Swedish film. The screenplay award for Tarik Saleh for “Boy from heaven” and the actor award for “Border” director Ali Abbasi’s Danish-Swedish “Holy spider” are also fantastic awards. During the last decade, Swedish film has taken off into the world, at the big festivals, in a way that in principle only Ingmar Bergman has done before.
What the three directors who competed in Cannes this year have in common is that the whole world is their playing field. A winning concept.
Read more: Ruben Östlund wins the Palme d’Or for the second time