Film Review: Saltburn (2023)

2023 produced some major movie moments for audiences globally. From “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” to “Saltburn”. People finally went back to the cinema to experience these blockbusters in the environment they were designed for. Not long after these movies are released to the cinema they arrive on streaming sites to be enjoyed at home. For “Saltburn”, this came just in time for Christmas.

What is “Saltburn”?

Sometimes it feels like movies come as quickly as they disappear into the internet chatter. I had seen a lot of press around “Saltburn” but I didn’t really know what it was about. Assuming that you don’t either, “Saltburn” follows the tale of Barry Keoghan’s Oliver Quick, an Oxford student attending the university on scholarship from Merseyside. He is shunned by his elite and obnoxious peers yet is infatuated with Jacob Elordi’s Felix Catton. After a “chance” meeting, the two become unlikely friends and after telling Felix his alcoholic father died, Oliver is invited to Felix’s family estate Saltburn. Events soon become strange, twisted, hypersexualised and we’re given a real glimpse into Britain’s upper-class (Oh goody).

Casting elite

Keoghan and Elordi are joined by a stellar cast including Rosamund Pike as the wickedly beautiful Elsbeth Cattan, Carey Mulligan as family friend and leach Pamela and Richard E Grant as dim Lord and father to Felix and Venetia. Alison Oliver portrays the troubled Venetia and we welcome up and coming star Archie Madekwe as cousin Farleigh. Pike and Mulligan steal every scene they appear, their dialogue is witty, exacerbating and pathetic. “Saltburn” was written and directed by none other than upper-class alum herself Emerald Fennell.

Who is Emerard Fennell?

Emerald Fennell is a dominant powerhouse with many talents. Her acting credits include “Call the Midwife”, “The Crown” and “Barbie”. Yet her major feat is the glorious 2020 film “Promising Young Woman” that she wrote and directed. I reviewed this movie in 2021, it’s widely accepted as a satirical piece of black-comedy with the exceptional Carey Mulligan leading the film as a vigilante ready to ruin every man’s life who sexually assaulted her best friend that ultimately lead to her suicide. It’s heart breaking yet one of the most powerful movies of recent years. Fennell tackles societal topics in her movies, for “Saltburn” this is a critique on the social class system in Britain and in my view, mental health also.

Can you tell I watch Criminal Minds?

I’ve read quite a few reviews on the movie and many of them refer to the low-socioeconomic life of protagonist Oliver. It’s important to state how Oliver lied about his turbulent family life. His father did not die, he was not an alcoholic and his mother was not a drug addict. He lived in a middle class area in North England with a seemingly supportive and loving family. He lied about being an only child, he had two sisters that we did not meet.

Of course, this all came as a shock to his rich bestie Felix. But what does these lies tell us about Oliver? He’s deceptive, a master manipulator and overall, a sociopath. Online everyone talks about “that bathtub scene” as a shocking piece of film, for me the most painful to watch scene was when Oliver’s dad realised he had lied about their family to his mate. He’d rather have no family than be seen as being from a regular working class home.

People love claiming to be shocked

As previously mentioned, the “bathtub” scene took social media by storm as people flocked to create TikToks on how “traumatised” they were from watching the movie. Leaving cinemas in a sense of shock from what they’d just spent £15 to see. On New Year’s Eve, I watched the movie on Amazon Prime bracing myself for the horror that never came. Unless I have become completely desensitised to film I thought the “bathtub” scene was the least of my worries. Despite how gross it is drinking ahem, “soiled” bath water my main concern was how revolting baths are in general. I’m not going anywhere near a drain hole, not even Jacob Elordi’s.

Does Margot Robbie ever take a day off?

I mention Margot because it is her production company “LuckyChap Entertainment” founded with her husband Tom Ackerley and their friend Josey McNamara that was the power behind “Saltburn”. They were recently interviewed by Variety about the successes of “Barbie” and “Saltburn” and it’s a compelling read about their motivation to support female filmmakers and the original stories they produce. Albeit in the interview it is stated Robbie asks to be CC’d into every email sent within the 12-employee company - has anyone told her about micro-management?

And what’s Sophie Ellis Baxter got to do with this?

Okay I haven’t completely lost the plot. Brit-pop icon Sophie Ellis Baxter’s hit song “Murder on the Dancefloor” has taken on a life of its own as the final song used in a visually delightful scene (if you know, you know). That’s one thing “Saltburn” got so right, their soundtrack was immense and bizarre all at the same time. Did I need to hear the Cheeky Girls? No, but it was their Christmas song and I felt festive.

7/10

I thought “Saltburn” was a great movie and would definitely recommend it. I loved the acting, the storyline was interesting yet there are some logical questions I have about the ending. Why did no one find it suspicious that this creepy kid became the sole heir to an estate when he was present at 3/4 of the families deaths? If Farleigh was still alive, why couldn’t he alert the police about what the hell was going on? Despite these reservations, it’s a great piece of entertainment and don’t worry about the shock claims online, just enjoy the sweet dulcet tones of Sophie Ellis Baxter at the end.