…………………………………………………

Saltburn Movie Review

Saltburn is a 2023 black comedy film directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi. It is the most entertaining movie of the year.

………………………………………………….

“Lots of people get lost in Saltburn“

………………………………………………….

Distraught by his classmate Oliver’s unfortunate living situation, Felix, a rich student, invites him over to his estate. Soon, a series of horrifying events engulf Felix’s family. ‘Promising Young Woman’ was an immensely flawed movie, but one that showed a lot of potential for its debuting director Emerald Fennell as she showcased a lot of storytelling prowess, interesting tonal shifts and kinetic energy with her first feature. All of those elements return in her sophomore effort, which might be better than its predecessor.

Inspired by ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ in its basic premise, but much better and more entertaining, Saltburn is one of those movies that were made to entertain viewers first and foremost and there is nothing wrong with that. I had a blast watching it and it gripped me from start to finish and that alone makes it a great film.

Yes, there is not a lot of ambiguity to be found in this film that was anything but subtle. In fact, it was so on-the-nose and bombastic that it cannot be argued that this approach wasn’t the director’s intention. She effectively made a black comedy here, not a sophisticated drama that explores the issue of class, and in the realm of comedies the movie wildly succeeds as it’s constantly riveting, very amusing and unforgettable in some of its imagery.

Undoubtedly, the more sensational sexual scenes were included primarily for shock value, but all of these scenes were so memorable and unlike anything else that I’ve seen in movies before that they stuck with me and I did find that all of them worked within the context of this particular story and tone that was theatrical and almost campy. The wildest scenes include the protagonist humping earth on the grave, having sex with a woman who is currently menstruating and licking the bathtub after the guy who he obsesses over had used it.

………………………………………………….

Saltburn throughout had so many memorable and striking sequences full of unique imagery with the grass field scene being the most elegant of the bunch and the nude dancing ending being instantly iconic. There is so much propulsive energy, offbeat humor and highly unique tonality here that all made the movie uniquely alluring.

Barry Keoghan delivered one of the year’s finest acting performances and one of the most underappreciated. He was superb as the manipulative and obsessive Oliver who would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Keoghan was perfectly cast and very effective not just in his line delivery, but also in his impressive physicality. Oliver is such a fun character, one that is both on-the-nose and ambiguous in his motifs and approaches, and the movie truly came alive whenever he was on screen calculating his every move.

Others also impressed in smaller roles. Jacob Elordi was also very well cast as this rich heartthrob who represents all those annoying rich people who befriend poor folk just out of pity. The two contrasted each other well and the homoerotic tension between them was palpable. Carey Mulligan got way too small of a role for her, which was disappointing to see, but Richard E. Grant was wonderfully British here while Rosamund Pike was so effective as this conceited but clueless rich woman. Pike has performed a couple of manipulative villain roles before, so it was a great twist that she was the victim here. Alison Oliver as the daughter love interest and Archie Madekwe as the rival cousin were the other standouts. Both of these young actors were so good here that hopefully they get more roles in the near future.

………………………………………………….

Saltburn is gorgeously shot, wonderfully scored and superbly edited, paced and structured. The second half is definitely much more interesting and memorable than the first, but the former one still set up the stage for all the crazy events of the latter very well. The dialogue and themes are as subtle as an earthquake, but the tone is one that is playful and irreverent, which is very rare to find in today’s movies. Fennell is in on the joke, which shows great self-awareness on her behalf. She is a very unique filmmaker.