Saltburn - 2022 film review

 

Saltburn is an intriguing new film, written and directed by the super-talented Emerald Fennell, which has understandably given rise to many talking points. It's not an easy film to discuss without giving away some aspects of the story, and one immediate question is how to describe it - a satire? a thriller? a love story? a country house mystery? For me, it's a black comedy of the darkest hue.

The main part of the story takes place in 2006. Oliver Quick (Barry Keorghan), a young student from Merseyside, goes to Oxford (Brasenose College, very photogenic) and becomes fascinated by a glamorous and super-rich fellow student, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). At first the story follows a relatively conventional path, as Oliver is dazzled by Felix and patronised by Felix's posh chums. But when Oliver tells Felix that his father, a drug addict, has died, Felix invites him to spend the summer at his extravagant family home Saltburn (actually Drayton House in Northamptonshire, which looks fantastic) and this is where the film really takes off.

Rosamund Pike, who plays Felix's glamorous mother, is given some wonderfully witty lines and delivers a terrific performance So does Richard E. Grant, as Felix's eccentric father. There's also a wonderful cameo from Carey Mulligan as a family friend who has overstayed her welcome at Saltburn. Mulligan starred in Promising Young Woman, also directed by Fennell, which I enjoyed, despite some flaws. Saltburn also has flaws, but I think it's a more powerful film. Andrew Taylor summed up the pros and cons of the film on Facebook recently, describing Saltburn as 'A bonkers Brideshead 2 with a script that reads like Highsmith having a bad trip. Progressively absurd and disgusting. And alarmingly watchable.' It certainly is watchable, and I agree that there are very strong echoes of Highsmith.

If you focus on the plot, you will spot plenty of holes. There's a brilliant twist about half-way through, but it relies in part on Oliver's assertion at the start of the film that he was always honest with Felix - which is a rather naughty bit of cheating as far as the script is concerned. And there are numerous implausibilities which can't be discussed without spoilers. Yes, there are some graphic scenes, and yes, perhaps too much time is devoted to them, and yes, the scenes just before the finale could have been handled a bit more smoothly. As for the final scene, it's truly memorable and it's certainly revived interest in Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Murder on the Dance Floor'. 

Fennell cites The Go-Between and Rebecca as key influences, whilst downplaying the Highsmith influence, but although the script isn't quite in the Highsmith class, it does a good job of focusing quite relentlessly on excess and obsession. All in all, a film I rate pretty highly, despite some reservations.