"Triangle of Sadness" directed by Reuben Ostlund How was the Inferno dinner scene created? [Director's Interview Vol.284]

Incredibly intelligent, wicked, and funny. Swedish director Ruben Østlund is a filmmaker who pokes fun at human instincts and lifestyles, social and economic systems, and their limitations in the form of ``black comedy.''

With his latest film, Triangle of Sadness(22), Ostlund became the third film in history to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for two consecutive films. However, this film is far more vulgar and hopeless than you would expect from its title as a ``Palme d'Or-winning film,'' and you can only laugh at it, but it is a strange work that reveals a serious theme behind it.

In this interview, we focus on the nightmarish dinner scene that makes you want to ask, "Why did this happen?" and why director Ostlund is so particular about "comedy." We asked him about behind the scenes and his beliefs about filmmaking.

Index

• How was the nightmarish dinner scene created?
• Why use comedy to express poignant social criticism?

How was the nightmarish dinner scene created?

Q: I really wanted to ask you about this scene today. This is the scene in the middle of the movie where the Captain's Dinner is served during a storm. This is a picture of Inferno that has never been seen before. Please tell us how you came up with the idea and what your aim was in creating it.

Ostlund: The idea for that scene was because I thought the ship should have a communist captain (Woody Harrelson) on board. I thought it would be interesting to have seasick passengers listen to political speeches through speakers. What's more, the captain reads out the Communist Manifesto. When rich passengers are forced to listen to that, they endure storms and seasickness (lol). Of course, as a director, I have to structure the movie in a way that connects that idea well with that scene.

What I value is aiming for something that I have never seen before in a movie. If we're going to create a Inferno-like scene, our goal is to create the most epic Inferno in movie history. This time, we created scenes of storms and vomiting, but I told the staff that I wanted the scenes to exceed the audience's expectations by 10 times. In other words, we want to provide the audience with an experience they never imagined. I want people to take risks when watching my movies, and I don't want them to be risks that people might say, ``I regret watching.'' If you can build your brand like that, you should be able to get people talking about your new work every time you release it.

"Triangle of Sadness" Fredrik Wenzel © Plattform Produktion

Q: What was the actual shooting process like? I think it must have been extremely difficult.

Ostlund: It was tough (laughs). It took 13 days to shoot. Since we shot it on a set, we built the dining room, hallways, guest rooms, etc. on a rotating platform that can be tilted. So we shot the set while actually shaking it, and it was complete chaos (lol). As a director myself, I'm the type of person who always wants to control a lot of things, but everything changes so I can't control it at all. The staff members who were on set the whole time also got seasick and had to take motion sickness medicine and wear motion sickness wristbands.

The Day After, the fact that we had to film the entire scene piecemeal was a pain. I often shoot long takes, so I don't usually make many cuts. There were times when I felt frustrated by the limited ways I could take photos.

Q: Some people can't stand seasickness and end up vomiting...

Ostlund: There are three ways to photograph people who are vomiting. One method is to put a tube into the actor's mouth and connect it to a pump that pumps air. Then, just by pressing a button, you can have vomit come out of your mouth at a time when even the actors don't know (lol). The other method is to add CG at the post-production stage. And the last step is how to actually get them to vomit. Zuni Meles, who played the role of Bella, who was most vomiting at the table, has the ability to vomit on her own.

Why use comedy to express poignant social criticism?