Depraved, dark and disturbing “Saltburn” is a tale of obsession and wealth guaranteed to take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The movie, directed by Emerald Fennell, has quickly solidified “Saltburn” as both memorable and divisive for viewers.

“Saltburn” will be available for streaming on Prime Video Dec. 22 alongside Fennell’s Oscar-winning directorial debut “Promising Young Woman.” Prime Video is currently offering 30-day free trials.

Set in the early 2000s, “Saltburn” follows the main character Oliver, an eccentric boy attending Oxford. Oliver meets Felix, who is magnetic. The two become friends and Oliver stays at Felix’s family estate, Saltburn, for the summer. The unwinding of Oliver fills the film with twists up until the very end.

The movie casting is great. Barry Keogan, cast as Oliver, has played many strange and eccentric characters. His performance as Oliver was, as expected, impressive. Keogan plays Oliver in a way you feel for him at the beginning.

You want him to just be normal or have an explanation as to why the way he is. Some criticized Keogan’s age to play this character, stating he looked too old for the film but I didn’t once notice.

Jacob Elordi, who plays Felix, also deserves praise for his performance. The audience feels magnetized to him, much like the characters in the film. Though often a spoiled rich boy, he has redeeming qualities and moments of endearment.

Seeing “Saltburn” in the theater heightened all emotions with audience members audibly gasping, groaning, laughing and yelling out “What’s wrong with him?” in reference to Oliver. Though many scenes left viewers feeling squeamish, the movie
remains funny and uses shock as a driving force for the humor.

Despite the horror, themes of obsession, sexual depravity, wealth and classicism were all shot with intent and beauty. The cinematography was perfectly crafted and was a step above Fennell’s debut movie.

The Saltburn estate was beautiful and filled with rich color, golds and symmetry. The movie is shot on 35 mm for a rich contrast. “Saltburn” uses a 1.33 aspect ratio to create the feeling of peering into the story fitting the voyeuristic nature of the film.

The film is full of literary nods and references with Oliver’s birthday party being “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” themed. Fennel listed texts such as “Brideshead Revisited,” “Jude The Obscure” and “Rebecca.”

The film is a gothic tale which is evident with the list of references used. The director said “Saltburn’’ was “taking the subgenre of the gothic, the country house
summer” and running with it.

My main complaint was being left with the feeling of wanting more. There were times the movie lacked substance leaving parts of it to be overall lackluster and feeling empty.

“Saltburn” is over the top and is surely not everyone’s cup of tea. There is no shying away from sexual content, full-frontal male nudity, death, murder and scenes you wish you hadn’t watched. I would err on the side of caution when deciding to watch. If you’re into gratuitous, strange and outrageous movies this one’s for you.

You will not forget “Saltburn.”
Final Score: 8/10

Categories: Arts & Entertainment