The rich are not the problem (we are)
Triangle of Sadness and the moralizing of wealth and poverty.
riangle of Sadness debuted at the Cannes Film Festival this year and won the Palme d’Or for its nuanced depiction of money, wealth, and power. I could not recommend a more poignant film for readers of this newsletter. Go watch it and then come back, this post is full of spoilers.
Triangle of Sadness concerns wealthy passengers aboard a luxury yacht and the staff that serves them.
We’re set up to hate the rich at first. When they introduce themselves at dinner, we meet the Russian “I sell shit” guy who earned his fortune in fertilizer, and the couple who made their millions selling hand grenades and landmines. “Those UN regulations messed everything up,” they complain. “Those regulations trimmed 25% off our profits. Those were hard times. But we pulled together.”
But it’s not single-note. Even among the elite passengers, some are old rich, and some are new rich, like the “I just sold my company” guy who feels the need to tell everyone how rich he is to get their approval. Others aren’t rich at all—like the model couple who are there for free as influencers. She poses with her fork full of spaghetti for a photo but doesn’t eat it because, as she explains, she’s gluten intolerant.
When one wealthy patron is being served champagne in the hot tub, she feels guilty about it. She invites her server to join her in the hot tub and even offers to serve her champagne. The crew member tries to resist at first, but ultimately, to satisfy the patron, she climbs into the hot tub with her clothes on. The patron thinks this is so much fun that she invites the entire cast and crew of the ship to let loose, take a break, and ride the waterslide.
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