Ema Sasic

By Ema Sasic

Director/writer Emerald Fennell is not afraid to make you uncomfortable. In fact, the Brit seems to revel in it. The Oscar winning filmmaker made a splash with her 2020 directorial debut “Promising Young Woman,” which left audiences with a shocking ending that still lingers in their minds today. The film was released on the heels of the #MeToo movement, and Fennell showed that she can get down and dirty with the uncomfortable truths of our society while putting electric characters at the forefront of her stories. 

The wait for her follow-up feature is finally over, and “Saltburn” proves to be even twistier and filled with revenge than her first film. Her second feature will make you lose yourself in the web that protagonist Oliver (Barry Keoghan) spins, and staunchly shout “Eat the rich” by the end of this tale. It’s thrilling to watch how far Fennell will push her actors, and just how well they respond.

Oliver is a shy, middle-class Oxford University class of 2006 student who finds it hard to fit in. It’s him against a world of pompous, wealthy classmates who have never had to struggle a day in their life. But he quickly becomes smitten with Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), and who could blame him: Felix is tall, handsome, charming and kind, something that sets him apart from the rest of the class. Oliver, in turn, gets in Felix’s good graces, first by lending him his bike when Felix’s tire pops, and later by sharing his tragic upbringing about his drug-dealing and mentally unstable parents. When further tragedy befalls Oliver, Felix invites him to stay over summer break at his family’s estate.

Fennell doesn’t show her cards early, but once at the alluring Saltburn estate, decorated with the finest art and furniture in the countryside, she slowly reveals the darkness in her script. At the estate, Oliver meets a wacky bunch of Cattons – including fabulous and cuckoo mother Elspeth (a deliciously wicked Rosamund Pike), who seems to have a brash and wild tale for every instance; father Sir James Catton (a wonderful Richard E. Grant), a reserved and not very approachable man; sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) who always seems to mess up her life; and cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), the rude American who Oliver knows from school and mooches off the wealthy family. 

With Oliver, these money-hungry characters can’t help but feed off his trauma and sad life story. At first he’s enamored by the lavish setting and beautiful people, but he quickly sees just how little regard they have for others, disposing of them as if they’re trash. Like with Pamela (an orange-haired Carey Mulligan), who the family begrudgingly takes in after recovering from an affair, and is eager to kick out. It all gives Oliver fuel to maneuver his own sinister plan by studying each person, seducing them by exploiting their weaknesses and manipulating them to his own nefarious ends. It’s scary how this sinister persona effortlessly takes over Keoghan, who feels like he’s playing  a more intense version of his mysterious “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” character. He commands each scene, whether he’s lusting after someone, trying to save face, or doing his own version of the “Call Me By Your Name” peach scene. There are moments that might be too much for some folks, but Keoghan goes all-in to make them even more thrilling to watch.

Elordi, who is having a breakout year with this and his turn as Elvis in “Priscilla,” is magnetic as Felix. The actor, already charming, tall and handsome, doesn’t have to work too hard to be a convincing it-boy, making his casting a brilliant choice. Not to mention cinematographer Linus Sandgren captures him in alluring lights and angles. But Pike is the scene-stealer with her dry humor and line deliveries. You can already imagine a plethora of her quotes etched on swag items, such as, “I was a lesbian for a while, you know. But in the end, it was just too wet for me. Men are so lovely and dry.” 

As more truths are uncovered in “Saltburn,” the more exciting the story gets, especially when things start to take a downturn for Oliver. It makes you wonder just how far he is willing to go to get what he wants, and how he doesn’t care who he’ll hurt in the process. The film might not say anything new about wealth, greed and the illusion of perfection that people are after, but Fennell takes big swings to craft this story, and not many others can say the same. It’s a fun, wicked time to watch all the conniving drama unfold, and I guarantee you won’t be able to listen to “Murder on the Dancefloor” the same after you manage to escape Saltburn. 

Score: 4 out of 5 stars