Since its debut, Saltburn has proved to be very divisive. A film that has caused many online to say, “you either love it or you hate it.” The director of the movie is Emerald Fennell, who made her first feature film called Promising Young Woman in 2020. A film that would go on to receive three Oscar nominations, winning Fennell her first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Now in 2023, Emerald Fennell made her directorial return with the film Saltburn. A psychological dark comedy thriller, about a college student who becomes enamored with another student and his life of luxury.
The film follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a reserved, awkward college student starting his first year at Oxford. Oliver is a scholarship student and struggles to fit in with his comically wealthy classmates. He soon takes notice of his classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) and begins admiring him from afar. In a turn of events, Oliver befriends Felix. This turns into a fast friendship that leads Felix to invite Oliver to stay with him and his family for the summer. With that, Oliver travels to Saltburn, a gigantic estate in the British countryside that puts the excesses of wealth on full display. Between Oliver, the wealth, Felix, and Felix’s unorthodox family it looks to be a summer that might just change all of their lives forever.
There is a lot to like about Saltburn. For one, the film is absolutely beautiful. Each scene is perfectly composed and full of color. The cinematography is wonderful, making the film a feast for the eyes. The soundtrack is also quite fun, brimming with 90s-2000s alternative and pop hits, from Arcade Fire to Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The film’s costuming is also very well done. Each outfit is intentional, showing the character’s personalities and how they shift throughout the film. Each location also adds so much to the aesthetic of the film. Saltburn also has a great cast, and all the performances are solid overall. The comedic moments hit most of the time and the shocking scenes will make you physically cringe in the theater.
Even though there is a lot to enjoy about this film, the handling of the story and themes made the overall experience fall flat. The film is quite sympathetic to its disgustingly rich characters, while making all its less well-off characters come off as fools undeserving of even slightly benefiting from the wealthy’s money and status. This is likely due to director Emerald Fennell’s own upbringing. Emerald Fennell, like Felix Catton, came from a wealthy family, her father being Theo Fennell, a renowned jeweler. Emerald Fennell, Like Felix Catton, also studied at Oxford where she was popular. It feels like Fennell wants to make a commentary on the wealthy but can’t fully commit, most likely due to Fennell herself being a part of the class she set out to commentate on.
Other than the themes the story itself comes off as unoriginal and lackluster. The first half of the film is quite engaging. It is not unique but there is uncertainty of where the story will go. Unfortunately, the film begins to take a decline after the now infamous “bathtub scene”. The more the story progresses and mysteries are revealed, the less interesting it gets. Emerald Fennell refuses to leave anything to the imagination. Which inevitably leads us to a cartoonish ending where our main character explains the entire film to us, leaving little to no room for interpretation.
Saltburn is almost great, and that is the biggest tragedy of them all. It’s got the looks, it’s got the cast, but the story and themes just aren’t quite good enough. That being said, if you are looking for a fun and cringy movie to watch with friends, then Saltburn is for you. If you think the plot of Saltburn sounds interesting but want something that is actually thrilling maybe just go watch The Talented Mr. Ripley instead.
2.5/5 STARS