Saltburn
Written and Directed by Emerald Fennell
Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Archie Madekwe and Rosamund Pike
Runtime 2 hours and 7 minutes
MPAA Rating R for graphic nudity, drug use, disturbing violent content, language throughout and strong sexual content
In select theaters November 17, expands nationwide on November 22

by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport & Editor in Chief

“I loved him but was I in love with him?”

Saltburn will get the town talkin’ that is for damn sure. Will this conversation stand the test of time? All signs point to: NO.

Emerald Fennell’s sophomore feature, Saltburn is a dark tale of deceit, manipulation, and tomfoolery. When Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) arrives at Oxford University he immediately locks eyes with the stone-cold fox that is Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). This starts an obsession that has Oliver partake in a cat and mouse game with the hope to capture his charming classmate’s gaze. The stars align and inevitably the two meet due to Felix’s bicycle having a flat tire. When Oliver loans him his cycle, their lives are forever intertwined. Their friendship ultimately leads Felix to invite Oliver to his family’s sprawling estate known as Saltburn for the summer.

I want to tread lightly with the amount of context I reveal about Saltburn, as this is one of those pictures that is best experienced with little knowledge of the plot points beforehand. With that said, I do find there is one tidbit to take with you when heading into the cinema. It is a little lesson I learned from one of my favorite holiday flicks, White Christmas, and I feel it perfectly applies to Saltburn: everyone has an angle. Every character in this story is giving the old razzle dazzle in order to achieve an ultimate narcissistic goal. One in particular is better at accomplishing their objective than others.

By the end of the film, I struggled with how I felt about what I witnessed. I did not find myself relating to any of the characters, nor did I particularly have any motivation to care about them. I left the cinema overcome with disdain due to a simple somewhat known fact: rich people are abhorrent and well, frankly they are boring. Much of the film plays off as “in the moment shock and awe” rather than providing a lasting impression. It is probably for the best that I only had two days to turn this review around, as I feel much of what I saw is already headed down the exit ramp and will be departing my brain soon.

The script is filled with snark and witty quips, particularly from Felix’s mother, Elspeth Catton (Rosamund Pike) and Felix’s cousin, Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe). The family’s eccentricity often provokes a double take, as well as nausea. There is no question that Emerald has a talent for writing snappy dialogue. I also commend setting the screenplay in the early 2000s as it avoids the use of smart phone screens. There is something troubling to me about viewing a screen within a screen. (My issue lies with the overall structure and execution.) The film itself is riddled with moments of flabbergast and the ending trips over itself with explanation. I would have preferred the ambiguity. A filmmaker that allows the audience to pick up the pieces and assemble the puzzle, has confidence in their own storytelling and believes the viewer to have competency in drawing their own conclusion. It also makes it a lot more amusing to live in that state of speculative wonder.

This is a story that centers around a person smitten with the privileged class and the lengths they will take to be part of this world, in the vein of The Talented Mr. Ripley with a bit of Hitchcockian vibes on the side. Much like its counterparts, it’s stylish, picturesque cinema. The difference lies with the motivations. By the end of Saltburn, I am unsure of Oliver’s endgame. Did he want to be Felix or be with him; did he want what Felix had or just be able to prove that he could take it. There is part of me that feels it was more about being able to treat Felix and his family like puppets in an elaborate marionette show of his design that truly got his rocks off. Although, with the various sultry shots of Felix, there is no question as to why Oliver would want to get with him. Felix is a dreamboat. Of course it should go with out saying Barry Keoghan pulls off his portrayal of the seemingly nebbish Felix flawlessly. Jacob Elordi is nothing to sneeze at either; this kid is going places. I wish that the two would have had more screen time together.

Regardless, being surrounded by so many despicable characters did not leave with me an ounce of interest. Fennell provides a dark romp that unfortunately had my enthusiasm waning as the minutes ticked by. Once I figured out the twist, I found watching the events play out to be somewhat tedious. Simply letting the picture do the talking would have made for a shorter run time and possibly solved this.