Review: 'Triangle of Sadness' generates dark humor in a grotesque, and brilliant, takedown of the obscenely wealthy.

A biting take on conspicuous wealth and how little it can buy in a real crisis, “Triangle of Sadness” is a scathing and freakishly intense comedy from Swedish director Ruben Östlund — his second, after the 2017 art-gallery satire “The Square,” to win the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

It begins with a commentary on artiface, as a group of shirtless male models are auditioning for an ad campaign. As they stand in line, a TV presenter (Thobias Thorwid) runs them through their paces, having them smile like they’re in an H&M ad, then frown as if wearing Balenciaga — because the more expensive the label, the more unhappy one should look in it. (Flip through the ads of any fashion mag, and the formula checks out.)

In the audition, we meet Carl (Harris Dickinson), an English model whose girlfriend, Yaya (Charlbi Dean), is a model and Instagram influencer, constantly taking pictures of herself seemingly enjoying the meals she orders — but then, once the photos are taken, not eating them. It’s clear Yaya makes more at modeling than Carl does; that’s the nature of the modeling business, the movie tells us. But the argument over who picks up the check at dinner becomes a bone of contention.

Flash-forward, and Carl and Yaya are enjoying a vacation on a luxury yacht, taking in the sun and the abundant gourmet food — which, again, Yaya poses with but then doesn’t eat. (Dean is quite charming in her breakout role, which is why it’s even more sad to know that she died from an illness in August, at age 32.)

Carl and Yaya got the trip for free, because of Yaya’s Instagram fane. Others on board are there because they can afford it, like Dmitri (Zlatko Buric), a Russian oligarch who sells manure, or Winston (Oliver Ford Davies) and Clementine (Amanda Walker), a sweet English couple who made their money in Winston’s business: Making hand grenades.

Things go bad for the guests due to a combination of turbulent seas and botulism, as Östlund, as writer and director, stages a cascade of vomiting that makes the Mr. Creosote sketch from “Monty Python’s Meaning of Life” look like a Disney cartoon. As the bodily fluids go flying, the inebriated captain (Woody Harrelson) engages with Dmitry, reciting quotes from Karl Marx as the Russian delivers pearls of wisdom from Ronald Reagan.

Östlund immerses the audience in the depths of his grotesquely brilliant (or brilliantly grotesque) farce, as we empathize with the people on board the yacht — from the ostentatious rich to the lowly housekeeping staff — despite our better judgment. When things flip in the third act, and a maid, Abigail (Dolly De Leon), discovers she has an edge on the rich folks, Östlund unleashes a few more cynical surprises.

“Triangle of Sadness” doesn’t always take sides here, as Östlund is as critical of the filthy rich as he is of the craven opportunists on the lower decks. But his message still is pointed: Just because we’re in the same boat doesn’t mean we’re all going in the same direction.

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‘Triangle of Sadness’

★★★1/2

Opens Friday, October 21, in theaters. Rated R for for language and some sexual content. Running time: 147 minutes.