Time After Time

by Brody Rossiter

Employing a heady combination of slasher flick tendencies and disorientating narrative mindfuckery, 2009 horror-thriller, Triangle, is an unconventional and bewildering trip that will leave you stranded upon an ocean of exhilarating confusion alongside its cast of seafaring characters.

When a film has multiple Reddit posts dedicated to its conclusion, there’s a strong chance that its story isn’t the most straightforward of affairs. Jess (Melissa George), is a young, single mum struggling to cope with the demands of caring for her autistic son. After joining a group of friends on a sailing trip off the coast of Florida, she finds herself fighting for her life, over, and over, and over again. When a freak storm capsizes love interest Greg’s yacht, the ensemble of contrasting characters – ranging from Liam Hemsworth’s rough and ready deck hand to Rachael Carpani’s bitchy college cohort – are forced to take refuge inside a vast ocean liner that conveniently greets the shipwrecked group.

Inside the vast ship, the five acquaintances are confronted with Shining-esque scenario of decadent empty spaces that appear distinctly out-of-time yet all too familiar – at least through the eyes of the increasingly unsettled Jess. When a hooded figure begins picking off the survivors one by one, blood begins to flow through the ship’s tight hallways and a recurring, time-bending mystery quickly unfolds. While many narratives exhibit a sense of closure, answering early questions through cyclical storytelling that returns and resolves, Triangle’s violent and perplexing plot moves from point to point as one element takes the place of another, yet this time appearing slightly changed from the last.

Returning to those aforementioned Reddit conspiracies, there’s a really incredible one; a theory that can only be truly appreciated after witnessing the doubt (of both self and characters onscreen) and anxiety of Triangle – elements reinforced by, and distilled within, Melissa George’s powerful performance. So sit back and try to solve the picture’s great riddle, its displacement of mind and body, its journey over past footsteps – maybe then you’ll pose your own questions and answers regarding what happened at sea.