We’ve all seen movies that are all about self-indulgence. About the rich and the lifestyles that the majority of viewers will never experience. Just an outsider looking in, on a world and opulence that puts us in the position to watch through the window of the manor house on the hill. Last year’s movie about overindulgence was Babylon and the rise and fall of Hollywood stars in the 1930s. This year, we head across the pond to Oxford and generational wealth. But it’s not everything the trailers will have you believe, and the movie does take a much darker turn towards the end of the film.
Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a scholarship student at Oxford and wants nothing more than to fit in with the popular kids. The majority of the students come from wealthy families, and Oliver is drawn to Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), an aristocrat who seems to have everything that anyone could want. But not coming from that lifestyle, he has to find another way into Felix’s friend group and life. After helping Felix out in a moment of need, he takes Oliver under his wing and starts bringing him into the fold. After Oliver has a loss in his family, Felix invites him to spend the summer with him at his family’s estate Saltburn. The summer will not only change Oliver’s life but will have a major impact on Felix and his family as well.
Dripping in riches, proper attire, and parties filled with drugs – Saltburn is an idyllic summer vacation – until it really isn’t. The movie shows the lack of consequences for people who live in a certain social circle and the impact it can have on everyone around them. It also shows just how tenuous the relationships are and how quickly things can fall apart.
The friendship with Felix isn’t all that Oliver wants, simply put he wants him, to live in his world. His desire borders on obsession and drives everything he does. This leads to some moments in the movie that are a bit graphic and can make audience members uncomfortable. Despite what we had heard early on, the movie is not as filled with as much nudity as you would expect – but there is some. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t sexual moments and implied moments throughout the whole movie. Do these moments make or break the movie? Not at all. But going into a movie about overindulgence, none of this should be a shock. Instead, it’s just another layer to the cake of people having no limits in their desires and acting out in them.
Saltburn allows viewers a view into a world of beauty, glamorous outfits, and a home that we can all dream about. It’s also set in the early 2000s, when technology wasn’t dominating the lifestyle, and selfies and videos would have recorded it all. But deep down, the movie has an Eat the Rich type undertone that will appeal to many viewers.
While the movie may check every mark in hedonism, it is simply beautiful to watch and has a compelling story that will draw viewers in. It seems that Emerald Fennell may have brought another compelling story to the screen, that will no doubt have people talking about it. Saltburn will be streaming on Prime Video on November 24th.
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About Saltburn:
Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.