‘I don’t think you’re a spider, you’re a moth. Quiet, harmless, drawn to shiny things, banging up against a window, and begging to get in...’
As I write this in the year of our lord 2023, Saltburn has inspired so much tiresome discourse that it’s almost impossible to strip away all the noise and judge Emerald Fennell’s film on its own merit. Is it gratuitous in its use of sex and nudity? Does it go too far? Is Fennell, herself incredibly posh, the correct person to be making a film that is ostensibly about class? As ever, absolutely none of this has any bearing on whether the film is any good or not. I’m here to tell you that it is. It’s very good…
Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a reserved, working-class kid from a Liverpool suburb, wins a scholarship to Oxford in 2006 where he befriends Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) a preposterously rich and handsome aristocrat. After being invited to summer at Felix’s stately home (the titular Saltburn), Oliver quickly ingratiates himself into the family. He flatters matriarch Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), seeks out a romantic entanglement with Felix’s sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) and impresses James Catton (Richard E. Grant) – the lord of the manor.
Discourse aside, I can see why Saltburn has been divisive. There is nobody to root for. Keoghan’s protagonist is a cringing and shy wallflower in the mould of Uriah Heep who creeps around Saltburn like a child hunting for Christmas presents. For all of its majesty (and there are majestic moments here), the film doesn’t have much of anything to say about the class system in Britain. The upper classes are presented as they always are: out of touch, doddering and lacking in empathy. In that respect, there is nothing to separate Saltburn from White Lotus or Triangle of Sadness or The Menu or any number of Eat the-Rich films and TV shows that have dropped in the last five years. What sets Saltburn apart is the writing. While it might not work as a searing takedown of the upper classes (and it’s debatable as to whether that was the film’s intention in the first place) it absolutely does work as a character study. Keoghan is a revelation. His subtle prodding and probing, coupled with the nothingness behind his eyes makes for a captivating and spellbinding performance. Indeed, the whole cast excels. Pike has all the funniest lines and is generally a joy throughout but the Catton family feels authentic because the quality of the acting across the board is so high. Elsewhere, Archie MadeKwe is suitably hateful as Felix’s parasitic cousin Farleigh.
Saltburn itself provides much of the intrigue. Like if The Great Gatsby took place at The Overlook Hotel, the house itself is all ominous shadows and labyrinthine corridors. Indeed, the spectre of Kubrick looms large over the whole piece. The striking use of primary colours and the gorgeous lighting recall the master director at his best – right down to the prominent use of a hedge maze as both a metaphor and a plotting device.
Saltburn is perhaps not quite as instantly appealing as Fennell’s first film Promising Young Woman, but as a follow-up and a companion piece, it’s pretty much flawless. She has demonstrated that her debut effort was no fluke. Welcome to the big leagues.