Graphic by Cameron Johnson
7 /10
If you’re like me, you saw a commercial for “Saltburn” in the corner of your eye as you passed the TV and thought to yourself, “This is Oscar fodder, I should probably see it.” Sitting down, bowl of chips in your lap, you were probably expecting a hoity-toity coming-of-age film, a la “Good Will Hunting” or 2023’s “The Holdovers.”
Then around halfway through, when Oliver Quick starts stalking Felix Catton outside his dorm window, you sense your expectations may have been off. A few minutes later, watching Oliver drink Felix’s post-masturbation bathwater, you start closing your window curtains.
“Saltburn” is by no means a feel-good, coming-of-age movie (unless sociopathy is a course at Oxford). That said, it’s the kind of movie that shocks you in the right kind of way. Jarring and unexpected, yet earning its surprises, “Saltburn” brings you into a mystery that works best when you expect nothing.
Though Oliver pulls strings throughout the movie, you’re led to believe the manipulation starts at the Saltburn estate. The revelation of Oliver’s early deception at Oxford is a distinct, important twist. He cuts Felix’s bike tire so he can volunteer his own. Later at the pub, he lies so Felix can return the favor and buy a round of drinks. Their friendship grows through lies about Oliver’s drug-addicted parents, which leads to his father’s supposed death. Comforting Oliver, Felix invites him to his family estate for the summer as his guest and friend.
The reveals are paced well, and there’s no reason to suspect Oliver is lying about his past until Felix arranges a surprise visit to Oliver’s mother. When it’s revealed the Quick parents are both alive and have always been sober, Oliver’s con is up.
Oliver’s motivations grow naturally and unsettlingly. He sees how freeing Felix’s life is, and is both attracted to and envies it. Jacob Elordi plays Felix with an upper-crust swagger, simultaneously confident and naive, especially in light of Oliver’s attachment growing increasingly disturbing.
Oliver likely feels this way about all the Cattons. He has sex with Venetia and Farleigh, Felix’s sister and cousin, respectively. Oliver also commits one-sided perverted actions toward Felix, such as nakedly humping Felix’s grave after his funeral. In fact, the only two Cattons Oliver doesn’t sleep with are Felix and his father Sir Catton, played by Richard E. Grant. It’s unclear what his exact relationship is with Rosamund Pike’s Elspeth during the end of her life, whether he marries for the fortune or is simply a friend during her decline.
Oliver’s involvement with Felix and Venetia’s deaths should have stayed a mystery. It’s heavily implied he’s involved with their deaths anyways since he’s the last person to see them each alive. The only death we needed answers for was Elspeth’s once Oliver ripped out her ventilator tube. Since we’re meant to watch his desire to inherit Saltburn manifest, this felt like the only death where an explanation was needed.
However, the montage of Oliver’s overall con is a great sequence. Oliver’s dance through Saltburn estate, nude and carefree, is an exclamation mark at the end of his growing instability. When he reaches the large foyer, a table with a dancing puppet cabinet sits in the middle. As Oliver circles it, we see the small stones representing each deceased Catton – a family tradition that typically sees each stone at the bottom of a river. It seems Oliver dedicated his time to retrieving each individual stone as trophies.
Cinematography and set design is another victory for “Saltburn.” We’re brought into the cramped, stuffy dorms of Oxford and the spacious, colorful and equally stuffy surroundings of Saltburn. Linus Sandgren, also the cinematographer behind 2016’s “La La Land,” impresses with his imaginative shot choices. For example, scenes that begin upside down utilize a body of water to reflect a character on the surface, making the shot look upright for a brief moment. Though the exact interpretation is subjective, it’s a great visual reminder that things aren’t what they appear.
Academy Award-winning director Emerald Fennell resumes her feature film directorial run with “Saltburn.” She earned her Academy Award for 2020’s “Promising Young Woman,” as well as two Primetime Emmy Awards for the television series “Killing Eve.” Her newest film sees Keoghan nominated for Best Actor, as well as Pike for Best Supporting Actress.
“Saltburn” leaves us unsettled, as it should. There’s a compulsion for movies to teach a moral lesson or prove right over wrong, but there’s not often a story that focuses on the opposite: horrible people getting what they want and never regretting it. I don’t personally enjoy that takeaway, but it’s a lesson worth teaching, and it’s hard to do well. Though the aristocratic setting may be an inaccessible example for some, “Saltburn” shows us not even a castle can protect us from the worst of people.
SZNS MAG 