Tonight on TV: sharp satire of the elite, controversial Palme d’Or at Cannes

Tonight on TV: sharp satire of the elite, controversial Palme d’Or at Cannes



A shipwreck of privilege

Without filter stars Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean, who died prematurely), a couple of models and influencers invited to a sumptuous cruise on a luxury yacht, in the company of an eccentric clientele made up of billionaires and influential personalities.

This journey, conceived as an enchanted parenthesis, it quickly turns into a nightmare when unexpected events – and a cult dinner scene – throw the passengers into a situation that spirals out of control. The roles are reversed and appearances crack, revealing the selfishness and hypocrisy of each person.

In describing this callous and self-centered elite, Ruben Östlund uses the cruise setting as a metaphor for social inequalities. The film, through absurd situations, mocks the privileges and codes of high society, highlighting the defects of a fashion and luxury industry obsessed with image and status.

A controversial palm

The coronation of Without filter at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival it was not unanimous. By winning the Palme d’Or, Ruben Östlund joins the small circle of directors awarded twice at Cannes, after the success achieved in 2017 with The Square. However, this victory sparked passionate debates. Viewers and critics were divided on the tone of the film, some praising the boldness of the satire, others believing it to be too exaggerated and lacking in subtlety.

The black comedy scenes, especially the memorable chaotic dinner sequence in the middle of a storm, provoked reactions with their deliberately outrageous nature. Supporters of the film saw it as a fierce and courageous portrait of the hollowness of human privilege and failure, while its detractors criticized the humor they found. repetitive and sometimes vulgar. This gap in opinion illustrates the polarizing effect of Östlund’s social satire, which seeks to shock and question.

The Palme d’Or Without filter it was therefore perceived by some as the consecration of a provocative cinema, ready to take risks to tackle contemporary themes. For others it appeared to be too strong a choice, reinforcing the debate on the criteria for awarding the prize which, for some, seemed to favor controversy and spectacle.

Source: Cine Serie

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