This review will contain spoilers and sensitive content from the film Saltburn. The list of content warnings is free to read here.
” I don’t think you’re a spider; you’re a moth. Quiet, harmless, drawn to shiny things, banging up against a window, and begging to get in.” Emerald Fennel’s sophomore film, Saltburn, is an original movie driven by envy, lust, and manipulation… And not to mention beautiful cinematography. The gothic film comes from the twisted mind of Emerald Fennel, an actress, writer, and director, most notably known as the director of 2020’s Best Original Screenplay, Promising Young Woman. As of December 5, 2023, Saltburn has grossed $7 million in the United States and Canada and $5.1 million in other territories, for $12.1 million worldwide.
The film follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) as he eventually finds his way into a friend group at Oxford circa 2006. A simple favor for the charming aristocrat Felix Catton (Jecob Elordi) made Oliver create a close friendship that ultimately invited him to stay with Felix and his family back home in Saltburn over the summer. It is clear from the moment Oliver walks into the Saltburn castle that he does not belong, as it shows in moments during his encounters with the house staff and not being aware of the black tie dress code for dinner every night, that Felix brushes off as nothing crazy. Felix’s cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madkwe), is being funded to go to Oxford, but Felix’s dad, Sir James (Richard E. Grant), makes it known that Oliver does not belong in Saltburn. Farleigh does not welcome Oliver into the family or the friend group he was in with Felix back at Oxford. The jarring contrast between the first and second acts of the film is what had theatres reacting in a way I have never seen before.
Along with the vibrant soundtrack of the movie, the squared-off composition of Saltburn recalls an old and forgotten era of cinema. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren and production designer Suzie Davies created a self-indulged world of generational wealth and the grand spaces within the Saltburn home. I recall a moment when Felix gave Oliver a tour of the Mansion. Felix mentions items such as a piano, the Shakespeare folio, and large windows that he brushes off, yet we do not see it well. Emerald Fennel explains in an interview with Vanity Fair, “Even though it’s a tour of the house, even though we’re all dying to see it, we’re not looking at it.” “I wanted to write something about desire; it’s about being unable to touch the things you want.” With Felix not acknowledging the sheer beauty of the home, the idea comes forward that flawed and shallow people can still exist in lavish, grand homes.
The film’s simple message is something so many people can relate to. It’s why some of us love reality TV or like to eavesdrop and gossip with friends. Oliver is attracted to Felix and his lifestyle when they first meet because of their contrasting differences. Felix is everything Oliver is not: rich and famous. When Oliver first meets Felix, he becomes infatuated with him. He follows him, stares at him, and even ignores his old friends to try to hang out with Felix. A superficial backdrop of students and teachers at Oxford surrounds Oliver. People only notice Oliver has a boy with cheap clothes and an awkward demeanor. The teachers at Oxford are even annoyed when Oliver shares that he read all the books on the summer reading lists. Still, the teachers try to befriend students with meaningful names or high-profile relationships.
An all-star cast was the cherry on top of Saltburn. Jacob Elordi (Felix), the 26-year-old Australian actor, has had a great year with the cinema. Besides his role on Euphoria that put him on the map, Jacob also starred in Priscilla, a beautiful, and somber biopic as Elvis. His performance was highly praised in the film, and some said it even gave Austin Butler a run for his money. Many Priscilla fans (including me) saw the trailer for Saltburn with Jacob Elorid before Priscilla and knew we had to see it. He was also part of the 2018 RomCom franchise, The Kissing Booth on Netflix.
Barry Keoghan plays the main character (and some might say antagonist) of Saltburn. The 31-year-old Irish actor has been on the screen for a long time and has many credits. He has been seen in recent films such as Dunkirk, Eternals, The Batman, and The Banshees of Inisherin. In a Vogue interview, Keoghan explained his thought process after reading the script for Saltburn for the first time. “When I was reading that, it was a realization that, I’ve probably signed on to one of the best things I’ve ever signed onto. It was jaw-dropping, it was beautiful. There’s so much stuff there that I had to read over again. I was like, This is a proper showcase for an actor.”
Rosamund Pike, 44 years old and highly praised is also one of the many talented actors in the cast. Pike is most known for her role as Amy Dune in 2011 Gone Girl, a psychological thriller about a wife going missing on her fifth-year wedding anniversary. She has won a Golden Globe award for her role in I Care a lot, a story about a shady legal guardian who lands in hot water when she tries to bilk a woman who has ties to a powerful gangster.
The reason why I believe the film is extremely divisive is because of the multiple reactions to the film. Many entered the theater with no expectations because of the vague, yet encaptivating trailers. If you watch the film without doing your research, I guarantee you are in for a roller coaster. Saltburn is split into three acts, which is something lots of modern films don’t recognize to do much anymore. The first act takes place in Oxford, the second takes place in the Saltburn mansion during the summer of 2007, and then we end with the third act almost a decade later, still in England, and eventually back at Saltburn. Although the Cinemaphotography is beautiful and the plot is nothing as we have seen before, the amount of explicit content almost challenges the quality of the film. There are a couple of shocking scenes in Saltburn that I will not share here, (but you can read in the content warning list at the top) that threw so many people for a loop, yet does make sense with the film. By the end of Saltburn, we learn Oliver’s true intentions with wanting to befriend Felix and join his family for the summer. He wanted a life of riches, lush gardens, and reliant housekeeping, something he didn’t have. It’s not like he had a bad upcoming thought, he was a pretty normal kid, until of course, he met Felix. After every jarring scene, while Oliver was at Saltburn, it’s like he gained more power over that family. After manipulating the family by flirting with the mother, guilt-tripping the daughter, throwing Farleigh under the bus, and eventually murdering Felix, the life he was chasing was finally his years later.
There is something about Saltburn, that will leave you thinking about the movie, even weeks after seeing it (like me). This piece of art has everything for all audiences… over the age of 16. The elements of gothic horror are what make this film stand out from many of the blockbusters of this year. This one transported you into a whole different world, its lavish exterior, and its sinister truth.
