Saltburn
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 131 minutes / 2.18 hours
Saltburn (2023) flew under my radar almost undetected until I learned it was by the same director who did Promising Young Woman (2020). Since the blunt themes Emerald Fennell used in her previous film stuck with me, I gave Saltburn a try. Unfortunately, the magic that had me riveted in Promising Young Woman mostly had me cringing in Saltburn. Sure, there were still those shocking twists, but everything else on top of that was just…ugh. And maybe those shocking moments were the whole point.
The acting in this movie was superb, especially Barry Keoghan as Oliver. I’m going to try to not give anything away, but his whole character arc felt like what The Count of Monte Cristo would have been if Edmund was the villain. That he throws himself into these uncomfortable moments so easily really sells the commitment to the part that Keoghan had here. There were other standout performances like Jacob Elordi’s Felix and Rosamund Pike’s Lady Elspeth, but they are almost insignificant compared to Keoghan.
Of course, despite all those weird moments, they kind of define this movie’s examination of obsession and usurpation. To cut them out does a disservice to the lengths that we sometimes go to get what we want. That we might do similar things when nobody else is watching is perhaps what makes it uncomfortable to watch as it shines a gross mirror on our baser tendencies. Ultimately, this doesn’t excuse the fact that there were several moments that had me going, “I wish I hadn’t seen that.” These scenes are stuck in my memory instead of the much more compelling third act, and that’s the true shame of Saltburn.
A gross look at obsession, I give Saltburn 2.0 stars out of 5.
