Beware: Saltburn spoilers ahead.
Saltburn. In November, my friend expressed interest in seeing Emerald Fennell’s newest film, and that was the first I heard of it. At first, I felt indifferent, but the discussion of Saltburn online compelled me to get to the theaters and see it. The week of its release, I checked the Varsity’s website obsessively to see when it would be screening. I ended up seeing Saltburn on the eve of finals week, after days of consuming the online hype.
First, for the general compliments. Saltburn was not my favorite movie ever, but it was good. I was thoroughly entertained. I did think the beginning was a little slow, but once Oliver arrived at the Saltburn estate, the story picked up. I was invested in the plot, I laughed throughout, and my jaw dropped quite a few times. It’s also visually beautiful with a notable soundtrack.
In terms of acting, Jacob Elordi stood out. He brought depth to his character—as the inordinately wealthy and charming Felix, he seemed to find his aristocratic family’s idiosyncrasies both normal and embarrassing. He wasn’t just a wealthy douchebag, but he wasn’t overly mindful, either.
I became so interested in seeing Saltburn because of the polarized reviews from viewers online (and by online I mean TikTok). Some TikToks called it absolutely weird, and others said that people calling Saltburn “weird” need to watch more truly weird, arthouse films. The latter point sounds pretentious, but I would agree that Saltburn as a whole is not absurd. The shock factor comes from the realization that Oliver is a freak, shown through a few choice scenes: the “bathtub scene” and the “grave scene” in particular. Though these scenes are disturbing and kind of funny, they are outliers in an otherwise accessible story. In fact, these scenes override the complexities of the plot, by making Oliver into a character with taboo sexual habits.
Some viewers have praised Saltburn’s “eat the rich” message, but I have to wonder—is that even there? What begins as a potential class commentary devolves into a nightmare situation for the Cattons because of Oliver’s manipulation. Oliver seems not to be motivated by class, but just by sheer weirdness that manifests itself as greed. Though the Catton’s gross opulence leads the viewer to dislike them throughout the story, they ultimately become more sympathetic than Oliver.
By the end of the movie, I was left wondering why. Why did Oliver feel such disgust for his family? What drove him to behave like this? Though I was curious for answers, I also felt the response would be the unsaid cop-out: Oliver is just inexplicably strange. The bathtub scene and grave scene took away his character’s rational motivation. I wasn’t left with the impression that Oliver had a relentless scheme to inherit wealth, nor did it seem like this all stemmed from his obsession with Felix. I also didn’t understand Oliver as taking revenge for a life as a social outcast. I wanted a reason to discern, but I couldn’t find one.
After watching Saltburn, I felt disappointed but more by my expectations than the movie itself. I was expecting something stylized and fundamentally weird à la The Lobster (2015) or Titane (2021), but really, Saltburn is made for a mainstream audience. However, it was fun, and a movie does not need to be shocking or have a radical message to be enjoyable. Though it does have its issues, Saltburn is successful as an entertaining and technically well-made romp.