#NewsBytesExplainer: Decoding recent trend of 'eat-the-rich' movies and shows
When Parasite opened to overwhelming reviews in 2019, made a lot of noise in the critics' circles, and eventually won the coveted Oscar award, everyone was talking about its overarching theme—the scathing analysis of classism, inequality, and painful, unfair economic disparities between people. This "eat-the-rich" theme has defined several shows and films over the years, particularly in the current scenario. Let's take a look.
'YOU' Season 4
A show that features a serial killer at its core and has amassed a loyal fan-following globally since 2018, Penn Badgley starrer Netflix series YOU's fourth season is strikingly different from its predecessors. Season 4's first part heavily pits Joe (Badgely) against people higher than him in the social and financial hierarchy: a group of snobbish elites who believe they are the world's axis!
'The Menu'
The Menu, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is the classic example of a film that provides adequate social commentary about classist chasms, the elite's downward gaze, and the rich's inability to comprehend why their haughtiness and overtly judgemental nature is a massive problem to others. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Anna Taylor-Joy, among others, it revolves around the eponymous menu served at an insanely-priced exclusive restaurant.
'The White Lotus'
The White Lotus has spawned two seasons and has become the audience's favorite because of its zany humor, incredible locations, and its ability to pack in comments about elite privilege and tone-deafness while also remaining entertaining and highly binge-worthy. In the first season particularly, this is brought about through the character played by Jake Lacy—an entitled brat who undervalues his working-class wife's profession.
'Triangle of Sadness'
Scenes in Triangle of Sadness will draw you in, so much so that you would want to be in the plot and be one of the affluent people enjoying their holiday on a cruise, with the staff ready to receive instructions. These guests treat the staff like circus monkeys and are extremely haughty, eventually highlighting the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
