Euphoric on the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, the Swede with a scathing humor joined, at 48, the very closed club of webbed doubles, including the Dardenne brothers and Ken Loach.

“The whole jury was extremely shocked by this film”, announced Vincent Lindon, the president of the jury.

“When we started this film, we had only one goal: to try to make a film that interests the public and makes them think provocatively,” said the Swede, receiving his award.

“Without Filter” follows the adventure of Yaya and Carl, a couple of models and influencers on vacation on a luxury cruise. A journey that turns to disaster.

In a kind of inverted “Titanic”, where the weakest are not necessarily the losers, the film dissects the springs of class from top to bottom: the rich against the poor, but also men against women, and whites against black people.

The director delivers an uncompromising critique of capitalism and its excesses.

Raised by a communist mother, defining himself as a “socialist”, the Swede did not give in to the ease of “describing the rich as bad guys” but rather to “understand their behavior”, he says.

After “Play” (2011), “Snow therapy” (2014) and “The Square” (2017), Ruben Östlund continues to dissect social conventions, small cowardices and moral dilemmas.

In “Without filter”, the cast is English-speaking: Östlund mixed newcomers (the South African model Charlbi Dean, in particular) and confirmed actors, like the American Woody Harrelson. The latter excels as a coasting captain, letting his boat capsize while he drinks.