Woody Harrelson’s new movie, Triangle of Sadness, received a whopping 8-minute standing ovation following its screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
The dark comedy gained a response from the Cannes Palais theater audience that has topped other big name movies such as Top Gun: Maverick.
The Harrelson film was directed by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund and follows the fortunes of a model (Harris Dickinson) and his influencer girlfriend (Charlbi Dean), who win a prize to take part in a luxury cruise on a yacht.
The other passengers of the cruise are all from the richest 1 percent of society and are oozing with snobbery and pretension. Not to give too much of the plot away, but following a patch of stormy weather, they all get their comeuppance in a shocking but hilarious manner.
The 60-year-old Harrelson plays the yacht’s alcoholic Marxist captain.
Woody Harrelson’s Triangle of Sadness received rapturous praise
According to Variety, the whole performance was received by an uproarious crowd who shrieked and howled at the dark social satire. The movie has garnered the most positive reaction of all films shown at Cannes this year so far. At the end of the screening, the crowd applauded for a full eight minutes.
Over the weekend, the True Detective actor told reporters that he’s a big fan of Östlund and claimed that he intends to be in the director’s next movie, whether he’s wanted or not.
According to Page Six, Harrelson said: “He can make you extremely uncomfortable. He makes you think. He can give you a sense of meaning like there was a purpose to seeing the film — and perhaps more importantly, he makes you laugh throughout. Which is quite a trick.”
Triangle of Sadness director thanked the ensemble and the audience
Meanwhile, Östlund told the audience at the Cannes Palais theater: “What a wonderful screening. What an ensemble we had. Thank you so much!” As per Variety, his words were drowned out by applause.
Östlund previously claimed that he “wanted to do something that’s worth leaving your home and leaving your screens, leaving the streaming services you have at home.”
The director last attended the Cannes Film Festival in 2017 when he won the Palme d’Or award with his film, The Square.
The Cannes Film Festival is well known for the fashion of the stars, and this year has been no different; Eva Longoria and Kristen Stewart are just some of the celebrities who have impressed with their style.
At the time of writing, an official release date for Triangle of Sadness has yet to be announced.