Satirical and sickening, movies like Ruben Östland’s dark comedy Triangle of Sadness and Mark Mylod’s comedy horror The Menu have stormed the box office in recent weeks. While the former sees Russian billionaires and vapid influencers take to a yacht for a luxury weekend away, in the latter, the super rich arrive at an exclusive island for an immersive culinary experience. Although both of these opulent adventures end in horror for the ultra-wealthy, the films themselves revel in their downfall .
But this recent surge of anti-capitalist films hasn’t come out of nowhere. From Bong Joon-ho’s Best Picture winner Parasite in 2019 to Fritz Lang’s 1927 epic Metropolis, cinema has always had a delicious interest in seeing high society fall apart. And in such politically and economically unstable times, it seems now more than ever we revel in watching the rich and famous suffer.
So, if the gory horror of The Menu didn’t quite satiate your appetite for watching rich people cry, vomit or lose everything (including their lives), here’s eight more anti-capitalist movies to add to your watchlist.
Punch up. Eat The Rich. Cinema said so.
1. Sorry To Bother You (2018)
Telemarketing, statement earrings, protests, cocaine, Danny Glover, and excellent moustaches… Sorry To Bother You has it all. Following a young Black telemarketer named Cassius as he works his way up the corporate ladder of success using his ‘white voice’, Boots Riley’s film starts as a light comedy, but soon spirals into a sobering look at the dark, twisted world of capitalism we so willingly participate in.
2. Metropolis (1927)
This hugely influential sci-fi epic from 1927 touches on everything from class warfare to religion and technology. Set in a futuristic city sharply divided between the upper and working class, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis follows the tale of Freder, the son of the city’s master who falls for a working class prophet. Don’t be put off by the lengthly runtime — this beautiful yet eerie dystopia offers some of the most provocative depictions of the working class in cinema.
3. Shoplifters (2018)
Living on the poverty line in a district on the outskirts of Tokyo, a dysfunctional family of outsiders and shoplifters save a little girl from the freezing cold, only to find themselves tested when unforeseen incidents lead to hidden secrets being revealed. Tender and thoughtful, Shoplifters is a warm portrait of familial love that examines the forces that bind our households and ultimately tear them apart. Have a box of tissues ready.
4. Parasite (2019)
Without a doubt the most important and acclaimed ‘eat the rich’ film of recent years, the Academy Award-winning Parasite is a sinister portrait of the modern-day wealth gap. As a family of hustlers scheme their way into working for a rich family in Seoul, dark secrets begin to come to light, resulting in the two families getting tangled in an ultimately bloody mess of lies and deceit.
5. Snowpiercer (2013)
Of course, Parasite wasn’t the first time director Bong Joon-ho tackled class divides. In post-apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer – since remade as a Netflix show – the story plays out in a dystopian future where Earth has become inhospitable due to the climate crisis. What is left of society now exists aboard a train that circles the globe. A stark class system sees lower-class citizens in the back carriage, suffering inhumane conditions, while the grand upper-class live indulgently near the front. The film follows Chris Evans’ character Curtis as he leads a thrilling, dangerous rebellion to gain control of the engine. The Captain America movie we actually wanted.
6. Ready or Not (2019)
To fit into her new husband’s wealthy, eccentric family, a woman named Grace takes part in a seemingly innocent game of hide and seek. But this is no ordinary game. Dark family rituals soon reveal themselves and Grace is forced to fight for survival to prove her worth. Come for the bloody satire, stick around for the iconic sight of Grace in a blood-stained wedding dress, smoking a cigarette and sighing, “Fucking rich people”.
7. Hustlers (2019)
Feminist strippers swindling money from coked-up Wall Street criminals might just be the best movie plot of the past decade — and it’s based on a true story! The stiletto-sharp Hustlers sees epic revenge, J.Lo, Keke Palmer and a killer soundtrack all tie together in a deceptively warm story about sisterhood. An exciting and empowering firecracker of a film.
8. Thoroughbreds (2017)
Before finding fame as Alicent Hightower in House of The Dragon, Olivia Cooke starred alongside The Menu’s Anya Taylor Joy in this gripping psychological thriller about two wealthy teens hatching a bloody plan against an evil stepfather. Sickening and fun, sharp and beautiful, this future cult classic shows the twisted ways in which entitlement and privilege lead to complete apathy. Overlooked upon release, it deserved way more attention than it initially received.