Triangle of Sadness

Dolly De Leon steals more than just the scenes in Ruben Östlund's darkly humorous and provocative broadside against the ultra rich.

With discontent already simmering under the surface of their thoroughly instagrammable relationship, two successful fashion models are invited on a luxury cruise and their days are spent rubbing shoulders with the enormously wealthy and impossibly elite. Below deck, the tip-hungry crew struggle with their guests’ growing demands, an alcoholic captain and inclement weather that threatens to derail everything.

Curator’s note

In Ruben Ӧstlund’s Cannes Film Festival winner – which takes its name from the deep-V crease that appears between eyebrows with anxiety or age – Dolly De Leon plays Abigail, a toilet cleaner on board a luxury yacht. When Abigail’s skills bring her unexpected power in the film’s final act, she fearlessly exploits her newly attained position. De Leon’s sinewy, deadpan performance is a triumph, in more ways than one – she is the first Filipino to be nominated in a performance category at the BAFTAs and at the Golden Globes. An established stage and screen actress in the Philippines, where she has worked with acclaimed directors such as Lav Diaz and Raymund Gutierrez, this represents her international breakout role.

– Clare Stewart