Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell, is a twisted tale of lust and longing, starring Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton and Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick. Similar to Fennell’s debut film, Promising Young Women, Saltburn features a main character who uses sex to achieve their deepest desires. Although it earned 72% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Saltburn has proved to be a very divisive movie. The Blue and White’s interviewees rated the movie an average of 70%. The first act is set at the University of Oxford in 2006, providing a sense of nostalgia for many audience members. Oliver, a scholarship student, first becomes friends with Felix by lending him his bike, which is a moment he has been long awaiting. Oliver is an awkward and shy kid, but gravitates toward Felix, an affluent student who everyone seems to love. Throughout the movie, Oliver worms his way into the aristocratic Catton family, ultimately earning an invitation to spend the summer at their opulent estate, it being the namesake of the movie, in the British countryside.
A recurring reason our interviewees watched Saltburn was the cast, especially Jacob Elordi, with an edit of Elordi has gained widespread attention on social media. Junior Mason Serrano justified his viewing of the movie by saying, “I watched Saltburn not just because of Jacob Elordi but because I heard it was a ‘shocking’ movie.” I didn’t know anything about the movie going in, but I think the cast was amazing. Keoghan and Elordi represented their characters perfectly and the acting was amazing. According to a Vogue article, Fennell originally wanted to cast Timothée Chalamet as Oliver. While I love Chalamet, I don’t think anyone could have played Oliver better than Keoghan did.
Many critics argue that Fennell represents the middle class as jealous and predators. However, I interpret Saltburn as a satirical eat-the-rich type of film focused on toxic elitism. It shows the absurdity of aristocrats using a dystopian type of comedy. It’s a display of the elitism many upper-class people feel. Mason explained his interpretation of the movie, “I believe Saltburn’s message is about how rich people believe they are so above others. In the maze scene we see how Oliver tells Felix he only put on a show for him to make him feel like a savior because Felix wanted to be that for someone.” However, other people, like Sophomore Imani Ross, feels the movie doesn’t have a clear message.
A focal point of the film that has also received widespread attention is the bathtub scene, with people going as far as making “Jacob Elordi bath” products. This scene, along with the graveyard scene, shows just how obsessed and controlling Oliver is. Yameliz Perez, a sophomore, echoed this, “I think the bathtub scene was necessary, it showed just how obsessed and needy Oliver is.” Freshman Saira Binda said something similar, “I feel like the graveyard scene was just showing how much control—he wanted something he couldn’t have.” If you can handle these uncomfortable situations, I definitely recommend watching Saltburn. It’s funny at times, full of suspense, and other-worldly. It’s disturbing, but impossible to stop watching.
