Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) has found himself in quite the predicament, one in which he’s unable to go home after semester’s end at Oxford. When a fellow Oxonian, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) offers to take him in at his family’s estate called Saltburn, Oliver accepts. Once they arrive, a series of unfortunate events occur, and the fortitude of this wealthy family will come into question.
Saltburn is a story about what privilege can do to a person, and what it can do to the people existing on the outside looking in. Writer-Director Emerald Fennell tells a juxtapositional tale in which viewers perfectly understand both sides of the story. While Oliver is the focus of Saltburn, it’s just as important that viewers understand Felix and his family as well. They play a pivotal role in the development of Oliver, and without them he can’t grow. As he sort of unravels from beginning to end, Oliver is tasked with allowing viewers to understand that he is both the protagonist and the antagonist wrapped into one unkempt package.
Fennell uses the vast Saltburn estate to juxtapose Oliver, to allow us to see how different he is from the other, more privileged characters in the film. Saltburn is meant to allow viewers to see both sides of the coin, to allow the world to look introspectively and ask themselves what type of person they are. By using this massive estate and mansion throughout the course of Saltburn, Fennell is effective in allowing viewers to see how fractured and interestingly dynamic Oliver is. There are seemingly dozens of different rooms present in this mansion, and each one exists in an entirely different space of society, providing Oliver the opportunity to thrive as a character. As he traverses the enormous, seemingly never ending home of the Cattons, Oliver is explored in new ways, and at every turn viewers get a different glimpse into the life of someone who feels that he has been slighted.
Much like the use of the mansion and the estate as a whole, Fennell often uses extreme juxtaposition to allow viewers to understand and appreciate the sentiments present in the film. One example of this is the soundtrack. With songs such as “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and “Loneliness (Klub Cut)” by Tomcraft, Saltburn does a brilliant job of presenting viewers with information in a unique and effective way; one where the truth exists both in plain site and hidden behind the guise of these upbeat songs.
The reality is that, even with all that goes on throughout the course of Saltburn, it is something of a slow burn. Viewers are slowly dragged through this film, forced to endure the wild shenanigans of Oliver as he navigates this new space. There’s a lot going on, and it would certainly take viewers some time to fully understand all that is taking place. Viewers are handed important information at Saltburn’s close, and I believe this is necessary. There are a ton of holes present in the film (intentionally so), and without all of the information provided at the end of the film, I feel as though viewers would be completely lost.
Fennell ultimately does a great job of wrapping up Saltburn by bringing everything to a head and allowing the world to understand, in full, all that has transpired throughout the film. Using incredible, aforementioned juxtaposition throughout the film, Fennell and her team do a brilliant job of allowing Oliver to remain front and center throughout, constantly finding ways to evolve into the multidimensional character that he needs to be in order to thrive. Using the vast estate, wildly unlikable characters, and a unique soundtrack, Saltburn, just like Oliver, thrives from beginning to end.
Written & Directed by Emerald Ferrell.
Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Alison Oliver, Carey Mulligan, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
