WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
I found Saltburn to be one of the best movies that I have watched. It took me on an unexpected roller coaster with an incredibly shocking ending. The first part of the movie made it seem like just another story of your typical poor college student who develops an obsession with the rich kid. Yet, as I kept watching the film, I was very glad to discover that it went much deeper than I had anticipated. Saltburn has been criticized for being boring and for being too complicated to understand and I not only disagree, but, at the risk of sounding like a snob, I think if you didn’t comprehend the film, you weren’t the right audience for it. I understand the people that say it was too long, but the beginning is imperative as it shows the mastermind that is Oliver Quick, our protagonist. A rich, smart, evil mastermind who made up the most elaborate scheme all in the name of desire. Because that’s what this movie is all about, desire in its rawest form, and the destruction it can cause when mixed with obsession.
In the beginning, it starts out relatable by showing a fascinated Oliver trying to do anything possible to get to Felix Catton. Once he gets in Felix’s good graces, he is finally invited to the Cattons’ Saltburn Estate. However, like all facades, they break, because our human nature sometimes makes us reckless. In Oliver’s case, this recklessness manifested through getting sexually involved with Venetia, Felix’s sister, and with his attempt to assert dominance over Farleigh, one of Felix’s cousins, within their weird and fascinating family dynamic.
Additionally, some have criticized this movie for being “gross” because of two specific parts, the bathtub and graveyard scenes, but I feel that these scenes are essential in understanding Oliver’s obsession with Felix even after his death. Also, frankly, these scenes are not things that anyone in their right mind would do, but they are a representation of our deepest and darkest desires taken to an extreme. Another thing people do not understand is why Oliver killed Felix, and subsequently aided in the death of his family, if he loved him. The mistake here is thinking Oliver loved Felix, because he didn’t, he was OBSESSED. Obsessed with his life, hence hooking up with the same girls, becoming part of the family, etc. Oliver was so obsessed that when Felix rejects him, he not only wants no one else to have him, but he becomes an entirely different version of himself. By orchestrating mind games so he could inherit the Saltburn Estate and get everyone out of the way, it’s established that it was never about the need for money, it was about control, power, and being able to get away with it.
Apart from what was previously mentioned, the cinematography and the visuals of the film were absolutely amazing and very smart. Setting Saltburn in Oxford University and a lavish estate sets a gothic and vampire movie-like feel. For example, the first time that Oliver and Venetia are intimate (yes, I’m putting it mildly), instead of being in a bedroom, bathroom, or even the living room or kitchen, they are outside, next to a creepy staircase in the dead of night, surrounded by fog, thus paying homage to the ‘20s aesthetic and gothic style. Another example is Oliver’s birthday, which is very telling of his whole story. Here he is the center of attention, yet when everyone sings happy birthday they don’t know his name. Showing what the audience knows by this point in the movie: he has all the power, but remains anonymous, almost invisible.
Overall, I find that the psychologically disturbing factors of this movie make it brilliantly hard to watch, yet an incredibly fun movie-watching experience. It settles you in the character’s heads and the family’s mindset, where you almost feel you know what’s going to happen, but you definitely don’t. I loved this movie and I will probably continue watching it until I have dissected every detail out of it. I’m sorry if you didn’t like it. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend you do, especially if it’s with your friends (plus alcohol, if you are legally allowed). However, be aware that “lots of people get lost in Saltburn.”