After her provocative debut Promising Young Woman, writer-director Emerald Fennell returns to the screen with her similarly rousing sophomore effort, Saltburn. Where her debut focused on a medical school dropout, Saltburn follows a young man at the very beginning of his university life. Struggling to fit in at Oxford, scholarship student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself powerfully drawn to aristocratic collegemate Felix Cattan (Jacob Elordi). After the pair eventually become friends during the term, Felix invites Oliver to his large family estate, the titular Saltburn, for a summer like no other.
Upon accepting this invitation, Oliver is thrust into a world that is so far removed from his own, creating a striking juxtaposition that’s instantly gripping. Predominantly filmed in Drayton House in Northamptonshire, Fennell’s extravagant second feature has the grandest of settings, completely fitting for her scandalous presentation of wealth, power and class. This exquisite country house, its vast grounds and the affluent residents who live there are all captured beautifully by Linus Sandgren’s evocative cinematography. He conveys the idyllic seasonal glow that the characters are often found basking in, while also communicating their most dark and twisted desires using the shadows and reflections of the imposing country house. With the suitably sumptuous production design further complimenting this aesthetic, Fennell assuredly establishes the decadence of her drama.
However, Saltburn is far more than just a drama, as Fennell’s screenplay lacks the restraint to be just one thing. Her potent cocktail of genres and tones works both for and against the film, but either way guarantees the most lively of cinematic experiences. Saltburn functions best when operating as a dark comedy. When it has its aim fixed firmly on the ridiculousness of the upper classes, it’s an absolute riot. The primary sources of this humour are a standout Rosamund Pike as Elsbeth, the Cattan family matriarch; Richard E. Grant as Sir James Cattan, her easily-amused husband; and Carey Mulligan’s Pamela, a family friend whose welcome at Saltburn is in short supply. Pike is a particular delight, delivering her lines with faux sincerity or brutal honesty, depending on who she’s talking to. But no matter who her dialogue is directed at, it’s all uttered with such perfect comedic timing, making every second of her performance wickedly entertaining.
This pointed comedy creates a sense of fun that is appropriately amplified by the film’s spirited soundtrack, consisting of countless noughties bangers. From The Cheeky Girls to Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and many more inbetween, this curation of pop anthems from the not too distant past both definitively marks the film’s mid-2000s time period and adds to the raucous party atmosphere present through much of the film. Saltburn isn’t all exuberance though, and with the more mature cast providing the majority of the film’s comedy, the equally-weighted debauched and depraved elements of the script are left in the hands of the younger cast.
Fresh from his Oscar nomination for The Banshees of Inisherin, it’s Barry Keoghan that’s tasked with leading Fennell’s fiery follow-up, in what is, remarkably, his first leading role. Those familiar with his impressive roster of supporting performances will be unsurprised that he excels even more when given additional screen time. His ability to constantly adapt to the varying tones of the film is paramount to Saltburn’s success, gradually revealing more sides to Oliver’s personality exactly when the film calls for it. He demonstrates Oliver’s fascination with Felix with unquestionable conviction, as it develops from casual curiosity into more disturbing obsession. Whatever the film asks of him, and it asks plenty, Keoghan obliges, with Saltburn taking full advantage of this.
Alongside him, Jacob Elordi also impresses, confidently making a name for himself beyond Netflix’s The Kissing Booth trilogy. He affords Felix the necessary presence and physicality that makes the desire that surrounds him so effortlessly palpable. He and Keoghan have an electric chemistry that keeps the relationship at the core of the film consistently engaging and, ultimately, an utter thrill to watch. But make no mistake, this is Keoghan’s film.
Fennell should consider herself very lucky to have such a capable leading man, as his commanding performance is largely what keeps Saltburn from completely unravelling in its somewhat troubled final act. It risks undoing its many successes with a climax that seems more interested in shocking audiences, rather than offering them anything of substance. Thankfully, Fennell’s hilarious, disgusting and truly unpredictable depiction of obsession and desire that precede this are enthralling enough to forgive this one last indulgence, because eating the rich has truly never tasted so good.
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