Sans filtre

« L'unique endroit où le socialisme fonctionne, c'est l'enfer - et ils n'en ont pas besoin là-bas. » Ode satirique à l'inégalité sociale inévitable. L'équilibre est une utopie. Le dîner de dégustation dans The Square, colossalement transformé en un concert d'absurdité sur un yacht de luxe, surpasse en divertissement tout ce que nous avons vu dans le genre comique ces dernières années. Et pourtant, ce film n'est pas une comédie. J'ai aussi apprécié les impacts durs de la caméra oscillante. Quand vous avez quelque chose à dire, vous pouvez vous permettre de rappeler à plusieurs reprises que la forme n'est qu'un moyen. Tout comme sont inutiles toutes les prétentions glamour capricieuses des participants à cette grande croisière… Je ne donne pas cinq étoiles car le dernier tiers du film est en retard tant en termes d'humour que d'efficacité dans la mise en scène. Mais la fin est phénoménale ! (11/07/2022)

For me, on level with Parasite, and hands down the best film of this year’s KVIFF and quite likely one of the best films of the year. Sound social criticism with a stimulating, original script and wrapped in a very audience-friendly and entertaining package. Bursts of laughter assured, as well as amused disgust in the brilliantly staged captain's dinner scene, and a nicely ambiguous ending. (56th KVIFF) (10/07/2022)

Ruben Östlund delivers a wry satire about contemporary society and people who are not prepared to lose their social status. But it is not intellectual onanism, it is an extremely entertaining and witty comedy that doesn’t take anything sacred, and apart from the great cast, original ideas and clever dialogues, it offers at least one scene that will go down in film history for its absurdity and escalation. One of the best films of the year. (20/09/2022)

Östlund's sell-out with one luxurious fecal scene and a lot of populism that doesn’t offend anyone at all. In this respect, the Swedish merchant of cheap satire is the best in the world. As a filmmaker, however, he is obviously past his prime. Press play and summon Force Majeure. (02/01/2023)

A satire that refuses to be simple or one-sided. Thanks to that, it is surprisingly accommodating of the audience and anyone with even a minimally open mind can pick up on the winks, nudges, and jabs. And yet it could really have been just a bit more balanced. While for many the captain's dinner was the highlight, I far more greatly enjoyed exploring the individual vanities and snobs, as well as the unpredictable, slow, but daring final act. After all, the dinner is the scene everyone remembers because of its accessibility, but it's that very overcooked quality that harms it. It does show how difficult moments are inevitable for everyone in the world, but there are too many of these instances. I picked up on the metaphor of wallowing in one's own bodily fluids the first time around; I didn't need it repeated so many times. Triangle of Sadness is not easy to recommend because its unnecessary length can be a turnoff for a lot of people, but the question "How would I behave in such a situation?" keeps popping up and every time it sets off a whirlwind of questions, which are not easy to answer even for yourself. (15/10/2022)

Östlund’s take on Animal Farm is a wonderfully biting and sardonic portrait of our society, which likes to talk about equality, but does nothing to promote it. Triangle of Sadness stylistically straddles the delicate line between the refined sophistication and complexity of Parasite and the delightfully carnivalesque and cheekily incorrect shallowness of Troma Entertainment’s social caricatures like Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead and Shakespeare’s Sh*tstorm. Thanks to this, it also remains uniquely universally accessible and, at the same time, so multi-layered that each viewer will find in it a different character in whom they will see a reflection of themselves and their position in society, which is hopeless and desperately undignified, despite momentary illusions or supposed status. Östlund isn’t afraid to weave in the absurdity of today’s world of the young and aware as well as the old and secure, but he doesn’t neglect those in between, who keep the whole spoiled, civilisational circus going. With savage laughter, he lets the viewers enjoy beautifully served nuggets that stimulate our inner anger and maliciousness in order to dip us in the bile and show us the truly warped nature of gender roles and the social hierarchy of excessive capitalism. ___ PS: The icing on the cake in the film’s excellent cast is not Woody Harrelson, but Zlatko Buric, who hasn’t had such space and such a great role perhaps since the phenomenal Pusher 3. ___ PS2: I very much hope that the film will be distributed to multiplexes, because after watching it you will want to walk among luxury shops, where models promoting meaningless status symbols look at you from the display windows with sullen faces. (18/05/2022)

I understand that in a time when comic book adaptations and epic fantasy dominate the film landscape, Triangle of Sadness represents a sympathetic civilian deviation for a more adult audience. On the other hand, it is not an exceptional piece, let alone film of the year. After a promising start, where Östlund takes shots at the superficial world of modeling (I know, it's an easy target, but the hits are accurate), with each subsequent chapter it becomes increasingly annoyingly didactic. Not to mention that the middle part on the boat with the puking scene is somewhat funny, but it is also somewhat cheap humor that could also appear in undemanding Italian comedies from the 70s. I have higher expectations for satire. In my opinion, the casting is also problematic. Woody Harrelson functions as expected, Harris Dickinson delivers, and Vicki Berlin in the smaller role of the chief stewardess is interesting. Unfortunately, that exhausts my positive feelings about the ensemble. With all due respect to the prematurely deceased Charlbi Dean, she was merely a model cast in a film role, and I can think of a dozen actresses who, besides a glamorous face, could deliver acting performances two or three levels better. Dolly De Leon in her variation of the Rat King completely missed the mark, and Henrik Dorsin is forgettable. I will give it a weak four-star rating, but there is something missing here. The TV series The White Lotus was able to tell a similar story with considerably better results, and it's not just because of the larger space that a series offers. Overall impression: 70%. (18/11/2022)

A cynical satire that cuts to the heart. Östlund shuffles the demons of today's society in an incredible way, dealing them out like cards to the each protagonist, but , above all, he entertains and is full of wit even in the most tense moments. The relatively little-known ensemble cast performs the best this year has to offer. Whether it's the king of shit Zlatko Burić, the capitalist Marxist Woody Harrelson or the downright modern couple Harris Dickinson and Charlbi Dean (God rest her soul). Taking away people's social status and shuffling the cards of importance is especially refreshing to watch these days. The film of the year will probably remain Top Gun: Maverick, but Triangle of Sadness is a close second, at least for me. It could even get an Oscar for Best Picture, it meets all the necessary requirements, though I’m not sure if any of the characters was non-binary, maybe the one that couldn’t speak... (24/12/2022)

A first-class social satire that takes on high society, influencers, models and the like in a subtle and sometimes wholesomely irreverent way. An alternative to Tarantino's masterfully pitched scenes, only without a splatter finale, although there are still various liquids splashing all over the place in the middle of the film. It's a shame that the most effective moments aren't distributed steadily, the second half is considerably less compact, not as entertaining, and basically you are only waiting for the finale. But the first half is so refreshing and so rounded in what it deals with that it is impossible not to admire it. A showcase of the inventive creativity of the makers of this low budget gem. (28/02/2023)

Ruben Östlund nous livre une excellente satire sociale déclinée sous une forme divertissante sur toute la ligne et impossiblement hilarante, laquelle semble combiner trois films en un. Au centre de l’intrigue de cette œuvre singulière se trouve bien sûr une véritable « shitstorm » telle qu’on aurait pu en imaginer aux studios Troma, suivie d’une action internationale de calibre A. Ce film ne conviendra pas à tout le monde, mais c’est clairement le moment fort du festival de Karlovy Vary cette année et sans aucun doute l’un des films clés de l’année. Dès qu’il sortira en salles, notez-le à votre agenda ! [KVIFF 2022] (09/07/2022)

It is quite likely that Triangle of Sadness will be among the nominees for the Oscars/BAFTA/Golden Globe etc., because Ruben Östlund's film will certainly not leave audiences (let alone the academics) cold. Of the three acts – the intro, the cruise and the island – I was most taken with the middle one, where else can you see a “chic” rich people who, in the aftermath of a storm at sea, suddenly starts rolling and drowning in their own vomit and shit? The ubiquitous satire at the expense of the rich and wealthy will tickle the diaphragm (and maybe even turn the stomach) of many a viewer. I found the first and third parts a bit long-winded, but I was satisfied with the open-ended conclusion. At the same time, the island sequence certainly doesn't escape comparison to Lord of the Flies. It was interesting to watch the behaviour of the truly diverse characters and their development as a result of unexpected events (money has virtually no value on a seemingly deserted island) – in this respect the film reminded me of Parasite. An academically directed, but at the same time audience-friendly parade of satirical absurdity! Better four stars! P. S. During the film, Iris Berben's paralysis shifted from one arm to the other, or am I wrong? (11/12/2022)

Satire schmatire, I'd have to be more rigorous if I saw the film as merely an attempt to aptly poke fun at late capitalism, because making fun of influencers, models, trophy wives, old rich people, hypocritical leftists, or the devout precariat strikes me as the biggest and fattest target in this whole earthly disco. But what I appreciate about Östlund's latest here is his brashness. It reminded me of the delightful first decade of the 21st century, when teen comedies invaded cinemas and homes. They were always based on recycled archetypal figures whose characteristics and stereotypes were constantly reflected in rather crude jokes. These films mercilessly attacked the idiocy of adolescence, and yet teenagers projected themselves into them and accepted the set roles depicted in the high school hierarchy. Not to mention the key piece of every teen comedy, its climax with some innovative fecal or otherwise disgusting scene that made everyone give an obligatory cringe and laugh at the same time. And then, after finishing every one of those comedies, my classmates and I would discuss who was the class Stiffler and who was the class Finch, with everyone wanting to be present so they wouldn’t come out the worst from the assignment of roles. Which is sort of the equivalent of the bourgeoisie in Cannes being able to squeal until their yachts are shaking in the harbor after a movie that makes a sort of merciless joke out of them. But this acknowledgment of the top 1% that someone is perceptive and capable of making mischievous fun of them is actually, in the current social climate, something of a declaration of love towards them and, as in The Tourist, the multitude of themes hinted at here will ultimately offer nothing but zen nihilism and a bottle of hard stuff as a solution. (13/10/2022)

Ma soirée cinéma dédiée à Ruben Ostlund, je l'ai terminée par son dernier film, Sans filtre, lequel m'a légèrement déçu. Je ne suis pas surpris qu'il ait eu du succès aux États-Unis, car j'y sens une légère complaisance et un éloignement de la vraie liberté créative européenne des films tournés en suédois ou en norvégien dans une coproduction pleine d'affinités. De plus, j'ai horreur des scènes de vomissements et dans le cas présent, elles me donnaient presque un haut-le-cœur. Bien sûr, le sujet est toujours intéressant et artistiquement traité, mais j’ai trouvé la mise en scène moins réussie que dans ses films antérieurs. Je me réserve donc son premier long métrage afin de pouvoir retourner à ses origines. (02/12/2023)

A razor-sharp satire that's both wonderfully funny and, for most of its running time, riveting in a way you wouldn't expect. The balance between unashamed sociological probing into the upper echelons of society and cynical mockery of the privileged classes is simply navigated here with absolute bravura. Polished dialogue with divine punchlines and unbelievable "comedic" timing in the moments when everything goes to shit. The highlight of this year's Karlovy Vary Film Festival. [95%] [KVIFF 2022] (07/07/2022)

I don't blame the people who are quite vocal about not liking this film. It is not for nothing that we say He who smelt it, dealt it. Swedish director Robert Östlund has been breaking social facades for a long time, and here he has done a great job. His movie The Triangle of Sadness, which is full of sarcastic humor and brilliantly constructed situations, basically pokes fun at all of us, even though he's mainly taking a swipe at the top ten thousand. With the extensive vomiting scene on the boat, he then openly points out that the whole Western world is up to its neck in this shit. The slightly ambiguous ending leaves the audience enough room for their own interpretation and identification with the work. (85%) (30/04/2023)

Sans filtre est sans aucun doute l’un des films les plus singuliers de 2022. Il peut être divisé en trois parties qui, tout en étant radicalement différentes, s’enchaînent avec fluidité pour former un ensemble complexe et harmonieux. Tout d’abord, nous faisons la connaissance du mannequin Carl et de sa petite amie influenceuse Yaya à l’occasion d’un dîner, ou plutôt à la fin de celui-ci, au moment où l’addition est sur le point d’être payée. Cette scène nous permet de nous faire une première idée de la dynamique de leur couple (qui a le dessus et qui manipule qui), mais elle introduit également la question de la communication, qui est bien sûr absolument cruciale au bon fonctionnement de toute relation. La deuxième partie se déroule sur un luxueux bateau de croisière. Là aussi nous faisons progressivement connaissance avec différents personnages secondaires, qu’il s’agisse des membres de l’équipage travaillant à bord du navire et sur le pont, ou de certains passagers. Cette partie est probablement la plus marquante, non seulement en raison du très impressionnant dîner du capitaine, pendant lequel se déchaînent à la fois une tempête extérieure sur l’océan sauvage et une tempête intérieure dans les systèmes digestifs des passagers, mais aussi justement en raison de tous ces personnages incroyablement intéressants… C’est ici que la satire sociale est la plus prononcée. Dans la troisième partie, sur l’île, l’histoire prend une toute autre tournure, car les rôles clairement définis dans la vie y sont inversés, l’argent et le statut social perdant toute signification lorsque la survie est en jeu. Les deux premières parties sont beaucoup plus rythmées et peut-être plus divertissantes que la dernière, mais c’est la dernière qui donne le plus à réfléchir et a bien plus à offrir qu’un simple final intéressant, qui restera par ailleurs pour beaucoup contradictoire ou peu clair. Ce film vous divertira certainement, vous dégoûtera peut-être même un peu, ses dialogues intéressants retiendront votre attention et vous feront également réfléchir. Pour moi, Sans filtre possède tout ce qu’un film de qualité devrait avoir. (10/03/2023)