Release Date – 17th November 2023, Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Emerald Fennell
Reluctant to return home, Oxford student Oliver (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into fellow student Felix’s (Jacob Elordi) wealthy family and estate, potentially staying beyond the summer.
Oliver stands out from the other students at Oxford. At least to the audience he does, to everyone else he’s a barely recognised background figure. The only other student he hangs around with is the equally unregarded Michael (Ewan Mitchell) – a figure who Oliver reluctantly asks sums to simply for the conversation. He spends the year wishing to be a part of the crowd circling the person who stands out to everyone, the intensely popular Felix (Jacob Elordi). After a chance encounter leads Oliver to lend Felix his bike one day the pair soon form of a bond as the summer approaches. With the “scholarship boy who buys his clothes from Oxfam” reluctant to return home to his seemingly distant and troubled family he finds himself invited to Felix’s estate for a few weeks.
Residing in the expansive Saltburn, and strictly adhering to the black-tie dress-code for dinner, is Felix’s high-class, wealthy family. Headed by Richard E. Grant as the eccentric father who throws a costume party just to gleefully wear his suit of armour, and Rosamund Pike as wife Elspeth, who will casually throw spite behind anyone’s back. None more so than ‘friend’ Pamela (Carey Mulligan). Each figure acts as a way for Emerald Fennell’s dialogue to further spark of the page in satirical fashion. While the surroundings may be darkly dramatic there’s an equally dark takedown of the rich running alongside them.
Whilst very different to her debut Promising Young Woman the writer-director still manages to create a sparkling screenplay with plenty to dig into, the writing is certainly the biggest push of the film. Bringing it to life is a set of great performances, understanding the comedy and dark tones, and managing to play pretty much everything straight with an occasional wry smile towards those being targeted.
Yet, little distracts from the lingering feel of Oliver making his way deeper and deeper into this world – the desires that he has to be a part of it, with his true turn arriving somewhat suddenly and feeling as if the film could somehow work as the origin story for Keoghan’s take on The Joker. His silent hopes and desires combatted by family friend Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) who consistently tells him he doesn’t belong here.
The class interactions between Oliver and the Catton family provide plenty of humour with their equal dramatic lift, and are the points which truly highlight the world and to an extent the course that the film takes. Things may feel somewhat stretched as the two hour mark nears and the twists and turns of the final stages become apparent but there’s still a good level of engagement as things come together – even if some of the stranger more ‘out there’ moments (you’ll know exactly when you see them) leave a slight question in the mind.
Such moments may cause disconnect from the film for some viewers, but if you’re able to get through them there’s an engaging drama at hand. One with both dark and comedic satire at play, helped by the performances which help to bring an occasional verbalised bite to Fennell’s excellent screenplay, without which the film may not have the same effect – both without its tonal shifts and with the chance that it might feel generic. Luckily, with the elements coming together in this particular telling Saltburn manages to move ahead and stick the landing rather well with its various elements and tones throughout.
It won’t be for everyone, but there’s no denying that Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn screenplay is sparkling with darkness and satire, coming through in the tones and performances of the final film. It might stretch itself a bit too much in some scenes and the run-time, but for the most part its an effective and engaging drama.
Just A Little Bit Random 