From the director of the darkly relevant Promising Young Woman (2020) comes another disturbing yet beautiful thriller. Gorgeously cinematic, bitingly witty, and deeply unsettling, Saltburn (2023) takes you on an unpredictable ride, which leaves you wanting more by the end.
★★★★✰
The beauty of Saltburn is in its unpredictability; it is a joy to watch in the cinema, surrounded by people gasping and screaming as the strangeness unfolds. Some scenes in particular—such as the bathtub scene—elicited visceral reactions from the audience in my cinema, as the camera lingers uncomfortably long on Barry Keoghan’s face. You want to go in completely blind watching this film, as most of the fun is piecing together the real plot behind the vagueness of its surface—the hidden menace behind the beautiful facade.
Set at Oxford University in 2006, Saltburn follows first-year student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), as he befriends the handsome, privileged Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), and secures an invite to stay at his luxurious family home, Saltburn, over the summer. Oliver is at Oxford on a scholarship, and the difference in class between him and Felix is painfully obvious once he arrives at Saltburn. Felix’s family are fascinated with Oliver, treating him with the condescension typically reserved for a pet. The rest of the film is set at Saltburn, progressively growing more absurd and disconcerting as Oliver becomes increasingly fixated on Felix and his enchanting charisma. He wants to be with him, but also wants to be him, and as his obsession intensifies the film takes an even darker turn, culminating in a truly unpredictable final act.
Aside from the entertaining cinematic experience this film evokes, the cinematography itself is absolutely gorgeous. Emerald Fennel has spoken about Saltburn’s Gothic inspirations, from Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, and the visuals have a clear Gothic influence. The setting of the sprawling country mansion, with more rooms than any one family could need (expertly illustrated with the magnificent tracking shot as Felix gives Oliver his introductory tour) allows for plenty of suspenseful moments, as you never know where anyone could be lurking.
During the day, the house is picturesque, full of sunlight and greenery. At night, it transforms into an eerie nightmare, full of mist and unease. The unforgettable party scene, also set at night, combines beauty and creepiness masterfully. The vivid red and blue of the lights, strikingly contrasted against Oliver’s unnerving deer-antler costume that dominates the frame like a predatory silhouette, gives the party an off-kilter atmosphere.
Oliver always looks out of place with his surroundings, his outfit slightly at odds with the scene’s colour palette, and it is one of the most visually-striking moments in the film. His outfit further signals his status as an interloper; he doesn’t quite belong, can’t be quite as stylish as the wealthy family he’s befriended. These stylistic choices, apart from being stunning to watch, help visualise the class-gap between Oliver and Felix’s family, demonstrating the casual nature of wealth and the minimal effort required to appear trendy.
Of course, the film would not be as effective if not for the stellar performances. Barry Keoghan delivers a deeply unsettling portrayal, constantly lingering in doorways or overstaying his welcome in conversations; you can never quite decide how you feel about him. Jacob Elordi is magnetic on screen, his charisma permeating every scene, and it’s easy to see why Oliver falls for him (even if Oliver himself never openly admits it).
Rosamund Pike’s Elspeth is delightfully amusing, an out-of-touch upper-class mother with a penchant for delivering some hilariously cutting lines. Richard E. Grant ingeniously straddles the line between naivety and calculating shrewdness. Alison Oliver delivers one of the best performances in the film as the tragically vulnerable Venetia and her final bathtub monologue is incredibly captivating. Archie Madekwe’s Farleigh is delightfully villainous at the start, but evolves into a complex and fascinating character. The performances enhance the film as a whole, and each performer could be considered a standout.
The Verdict
Saltburn is a movie that I could not stop thinking about for days after I’d seen it. Although it is not for everyone, as evidenced by the contradicting reviews, it is a captivating, thrilling watch, packed with excellent performances and witty dialogue. The disturbing scenes (and there are many) are definitely off-putting, but effectively add to the slow build-up of unease you feel throughout the film. Barry Keoghan is fascinating to watch, and you will leave the film feeling thoroughly stunned. You won’t be able to listen to ‘Murder on the dancefloor’ in quite the same way again.
Words by Emily Nutbean
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