Swedish satirist Ruben Östlund’s direction of Triangle of Sadness is next up in my Case Of posts for the directors vying for the Oscar.
The Case for Ruben Östlund:
After garnering acclaim for Force Majeure (2014) and 2017’s The Square (which nabbed a foreign language feature nod), his English-language debut cornered three noms in Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay. It generated buzz early when it took the Palme d’or at Cannes. The admiration for the film led to his surprise inclusion in the filmmaking quintet.
The Case Against Ruben Östlund:
In Best Director, there is usually a surprise nominee. That’s Östlund this time. The downside is that the surprise nominee doesn’t win. He wasn’t up in any of the key precursors like DGA, Golden Globes, or Critics Choice Awards.
Other Nominations:
None for direction
Foreign Language Film (The Square; 2017); Original Screenplay (Triangle of Sadness; 2022)
The Verdict:
Of the five hopefuls in the race, Östlund stands the fifth best (so… worst) chance at nabbing the statue.
My Case Of posts will continue with Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans!
The other entries for the Best Director contenders can be accessed here: