Much like “Titane” last year, the release of Ruben Ostlund’s Palme d’Or winning “Triangle of Sadness” has resulted in polarized reactions. There’s no critical acclaim, but a lot of love it/ hate it reactions going on.
There is no reason to fault the Vincent Lindon jury for giving it the top prize. It was a ballsy move on their part and Ostlund’s film is one of the better films I saw at Cannes this year. The best way to watch Ostlund’s film is with an audience, there is plenty of humor here that works very well in a packed house.
So far, “Triangle of Sadness” is 75% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (with a very high average rating), but only a 63 Metacritic score. That MC score makes “Triangle of Sadness” the third worst-reviewed Palme d’Or winner since 1990. Only “Wild at Heart” and “Dancer in the Dark” have had worse scores — oddly enough, both are genuinely great films.
If it were up to the critics, the 2022 Palme d’Or would have probably gone to either Chan Park wook’s “Decision to Leave” or Albert Serra’s “Pacifiction” (the latter is an absolute MUST-SEE). It was a weak Cannes edition, but the same could be said for most of this year’s big festivals.
The Palme d’Or winners of the last 30 years can be put into four distinct categories —
MASTERFUL, FULLY DESERVING:
The Tree of Life, Pulp Fiction, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, The Piano, Secrets and Lies, Wild at Heart, Dancer in the Dark, Barton Fink, Elephant, Uncle Boonmee
NO COMPLAINTS:
The Pianist, Blue is the Warmest Color, The Class, The Son’s Room, Amour, L’Enfant, Parasite, Triangle of Sadness
FINE, BUT THERE WERE MUCH BETTER MOVIES:
Fahrenheit 9/11, The Square, Titane, The Taste of Cherry, Rosetta, Dheepan, The White Ribbon, The Best Intentions, Winter Sleep, Underground
NO, JUST NO:
Eternity and a Day, The Eel, I, Daniel Blake, The Wind That Shakes the Barley