Movie Poster

Can you relax your triangle of sadness? Like between your eyebrows here? A little bit more. OK. And open your mouth so you look a bit more available. OK, not that much, a little bit less.

# Review

A model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a superyacht in exchange for promoting it on social media. The cruise goes awry and social dynamics are explored.

The performances are solid all around the board. Dickinson’s almost childish Carl and Dean’s manipulative Yaya are both excellent. The other cast members, which include Dolly De Leon’s cleaning woman Abigail, Vicki Berlin’s head of staff Paula, and Henrik Dorsin’s millionaire Jarmo, also contribute much to the film, usually in the departments of satire and humour. The cinematography and film score were both very fitting and engaging.

The film is laden with symbolism and foreshadowing. The major themes being explored include wealth inequality and the power dynamics which ensue, discussion on the philosophy of wealth, and gender roles (often in the context of wealth). The interactions between the passengers and crew members are a satirical portrayal of service employees dealing with ultra wealthy individuals. The crew members do not ever say no, including dropping everything and agreeing to all go for a swim at the whim of Vera (Sunnyi Melles). Woody Harrelson’s Captain and Zlatko Burić’s Dimitry have a very satirical and drunken debate about the merits of capitalism versus Marxism. Carl and Yaya are both professional models, one of the few professions where women make much more money than men. The commentary is very interesting as Carl wishes to assume a less traditional male role in the relationship while Yaya insists on traditional gender roles (where men provide for women). Östlund implies that gender roles are often based on one’s wealth.

# Conclusion

RIP Charlbi Dean.

# Overall rating: 7.9

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