Jess (Melissa George) is a single mother struggling to raise her autistic son. While working her job at a diner, she become friends with one of the customers, a playboy type named Greg who invites her on a yachting trip with he and his friends. Desperate for a break from her son, she takes him up on his offer. The day of the trip, she's late getting to the boat and arrives flustered. She says that her son is at school, but it's a Saturday. Despite her questionable frame of mind, Greg introduces her to the group (including uptight sister, Sally, and his first mate, Victor, both of whom are vocal in their reservations about her) and off they go. It's smooth sailing at first, but an out of nowhere storm leaves the boat capsized and the remaining passengers stranded. They think they're in luck when an ocean liner passes by, though boarding the ship is just the beginning of things going from bad to worse.
This is the third film I've seen from director Christopher Smith. Creep left me unimpressed, but I liked Severance well enough, shoddy ending aside. This, however, is easily the most rewarding of the three. What looked like it would be your typical slasher set on a ship turns out to be something far more intriguing. What we get instead is a mind-bending little trip with an obtuse mood and a curving story. I can see some people thinking of the film as being too repetitive, but I was caught up in the mystery right off the bat. This is a well put together film with some interesting questions at it's core. While it's not completely fresh (there are some definite similarities to Timecrimes), it still kept it's hooks in me for the duration. Smith put a lot of time into the script, reportedly a few years, and I feel that it paid off.
Triangle also wraps up with it's own unique explanation, one that's Sisyphean in theme. Another of the film's top qualities would be the strength of some of it's visuals, the most notable example being Sally crawling amidst something that I will leave unspoiled. A wicked sight and a sure shock when it pops up.
This film deserved to play in theaters. Aside from the fact that it's far superior to a lot of the horror that gets theater play these days, it's just a damn fine film that would benefit from being seen on the big screen. The Blu-ray is beautiful! Regardless, Christopher Smith has given us a haunting treat that will continue to fester in your mind long after that initial viewing. A must-see!
