Saltburn

by Mike McGranaghan

If you told someone what happens in Saltburn, they probably wouldn’t believe that it’s a high-quality motion picture. They’d either think it was an artsy horror movie or a raunchy comedy. What the main character does in a bathtub, to a grave, and with another character’s sister is shocking. Not shocking in a cheap, tawdry way, though. Writer/director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) tackles deep themes with this story, which to a degree is about the places desperation will take a person.

The first half-hour details how the socially awkward Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) meets and grows smitten with Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), a handsome and popular fellow student at Oxford. Once that’s established, the film moves to Felix’s titular family estate. Oliver is invited to spend time there. It quickly becomes apparent that Felix and his parents, James (Richard E. Grant) and Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), become obsessed with new people they meet, only to discard them upon growing bored. Houseguest Pamela (Carey Mulligan) is on her way out as Oliver is on his way in.

A touch of The Talented Mr. Ripley resides in the heart of Saltburn. Oliver, who claims to come from a dysfunctional family, gets a taste of the high life and becomes addicted. At the same time, a hint of resentment is there because the Cattons have what he probably never will. His unsuccessful efforts to be with Felix sexually cause additional frustration. The story examines how and why Oliver allows himself to be chewed up by this family. Dynamics between the various players are as fascinating for what’s left unspoken as they are for what’s directly said.

Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) gives an extraordinary performance, carefully showing the various, sometimes conflicting emotions going on inside of Oliver. The actor makes him a mesmerizingly complex figure, sympathetic at times and slightly creepy at others. Only at the very end do we fully figure him out. When we do, everything is cast in a new light. Jacob Elordi plays perfectly off Keoghan, infusing Felix with an insouciant quality. Oliver is simply this year’s model to him, a plaything to be momentarily fascinated by before moving on to another. Pike and Grant help create a vibe that explains why he is this way. When you want for nothing, toying with strangers fulfills a need for novelty.

Fennell opted to shoot in the square “Academy” aspect ratio. Shrinking the image in this manner feels like pretension in many films. Here, it allows an effective contrast between how large the Catton estate is – and, indeed, their lives in general – and how small Oliver seems in comparison. The technique is particularly effective in the aforementioned shocking moments because we can intently focus on what the character is doing. The director wants us to pay close attention so the payoff registers powerfully. She succeeds.

Much more takes place in Saltburn than I’m letting on here. Certain factors must be left unmentioned for the movie to fully cast its spell. What can be said without spoilers is that this is a hypnotic character study centering on a guy who puts himself through the wringer to fulfill his yearning. I genuinely did not predict the resolution to his journey, which just makes the experience even better. Sleek, smart, and in possession of a devious streak, Saltburn is the kind of film you like while you watch it, then like even more when you think about it in the days and weeks afterward.

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