”Saltburn” is writer-director Emerald Fennell’s second feature film following 2020’s “Promising Young Woman.” Her first film was a bold piece of writing and directing, which took on heavy topics and walked the tricky tonal balance of making a film about the devastation of loss and survivor’s guilt, while also remaining entertaining. And while “Promising Young Woman” showed signs of a new filmmaker, Fennell successfully pulled off the daring narrative.
Her sophomore feature is more fun, with twisted characters. “Saltburn” is about as deep as a puddle, but its shallowness is intoxicating (and, often the point). Fennell and her cast dare you to look away from these characters and their outrageous behavior, which is effective up until a certain point.
Fresh off an Oscar nomination for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Barry Keoghan stars as Oliver Quick, who arrives at Oxford in 2006. Oliver is quiet and keeps to himself, but like the rest of the school, his attention is immediately drawn towards Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). While Oliver hides in the background in most social settings, Felix is usually the center of attention. Oliver is desperate to get to know Felix — and luckily, Felix is usually desperate to be known, so the two begin hanging out.
When summer vacation rolls around, Felix invites Oliver to come stay with him and his family. They do the typical “no I couldn’t” “yes you can” dance until Oliver accepts the invitation and journeys to Saltburn, the Catton family’s palatial estate. The castle-like home is intimidating, but Felix makes an effort to not make a big deal of the wealth on display. Oliver is introduced to Felix’s parents, James and Elspeth (Richard E. Grant and Rosamund Pike), sister Venetia (Alison Oliver), cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), and family friend Pamela (Carey Mulligan, who starred in “Promising Young Woman” and is clearly just doing a favor here). It becomes clear very quickly that Oliver is amongst a strange cast of characters.
The weirdness of “Saltburn” shouldn’t be overstated. Yes, Fennell takes the movie to strange and sometimes dark places, but a lot of what happens in “Saltburn” is simply for shock value and she manages to make it compelling. It’s a movie you will find yourself enjoying, even when she goes overboard trying to keep her audience’s attention.
What makes “Saltburn” work is Keoghan’s nuanced portrayal of an outsider infiltrating the 1%. Elordi (who broke out in HBO’s “Euphoria”) is having a strong lead year, between playing Elvis in “Priscilla” and his portrayal of Felix here. “Saltburn” gives him a chance to show his movie star quality, a necessity to play someone with the gravitational pull Felix possesses.
The first two acts build tension between the characters, but Fennell doesn’t seem to know where to end the movie. The last act unravels a bit, and she keeps piling on one plot-point-too-many. Like “Promising Young Woman,” she seems too concerned with ending her movies neatly, but “Saltburn” is a messy movie that could have worked with a messy ending. During the last half hour of the movie, Fennell throws all of the pent-up tension against the wall, just to see what sticks.
Ultimately, “Saltburn” is empty calories — but sometimes we need to enjoy a little junk food at the movies.
“Saltburn” is now playing at The Little Theatre, and nationwide.
Matthew Passantino is a freelance contributor to CITY. Feedback about this article can be directed to leah@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2023.
