Cult of appearance, obscenity of wealth, social inequalities… With Without filterhis new satirical comedy, Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund paints an enjoyable and devastating portrait of our modern society.
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the last Cannes Film Festival, Without filter an astonishing – and sometimes destabilizing – mix of disaster film, scathing satire and frank comedy. We follow the characters of Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean) and Carl (Harris Dickinson), a young couple of models and influencers invited to take a cruise on a luxury yacht in the company of an ultra-rich clientele made up in particular of a Russian oligarch and a couple of British billionaires who made their fortune selling landmines.
On this yacht piloted by a disillusioned and alcoholic captain (delusional Woody Harrelson), the rich guests are treated with great care by the members of the crew, who have received clear instructions to meet all the requirements – even the most eccentric – of the clientele.
Except that one evening, during the captain’s traditional dinner, a violent storm will disrupt the smooth running of the cruise. The passengers are not at the end of their sentences because following another dramatic event, a small group of them will be stranded on a desert island and will have to learn to survive together by putting aside their social privileges.
Uncompromising
After making itself known internationally with the excellent force majeure (2014) and the Squeaky Comedy The Square (Palme d’or in 2017), the Swedish director Ruben Östlund continues in the same vein with this not always subtle charge on opulence and the excesses of capitalism.
His uncompromising proposal will irritate many, especially in the unforgettable sequence of the captain’s dinner, which ends in a deluge of vomit. But under its caustic and sometimes even grotesque comedy looks, Without Filter offers a brilliant reflection on the relationship of power and social class. Quite long (about 150 minutes), the film would certainly have benefited from being tightened up, especially in the third and last act, which stretches unnecessarily. But Without filter offers moments so delirious and tasty that one would be crazy to sulk his pleasure.
Rating: 3 and a half stars. Without filter (Triangle of Sadness), a film by Ruben Östlund with Charlbi Dean, Harris Dickinson and Woody Harrelson.