Watches
April 15, 2023
Östlund's latest came with a lot of buzz, but like his previous films, it's a bit hard to pinpoint why exactly this film stands out for so many. It does feature the popular "rich people are bastards" theme, which seems to be a shortcut to success, but the film doesn't really do much with it.
Two young lovers are invited on a luxury cruise, a little influencer gift. They don't really blend in with the other people on board, but soon they'll have bigger trouble to worry about. A storm is coming, aligning with the customary captain's dinner. The cruise won't be the same after that night.
If you like 150 minutes of looking at rich people being jerks, then this is a real blast. I got bored of it after a while though. The characters felt a little flat, the decadence doesn't translate to the styling of the film and 150 minutes is simply too long. It's not a bad film, but far from good enough to truly win me over.