"Saltburn" can be many things: psychological thriller, social satire, dark comedy, erotic trip (almost to the extent of big-screen porn), maybe more. But, at the end of the day, style trumps substance. The movie ends up looking like a super-long music video, beautifully shot. This is not to say, however, that there is no plot.
The movie moves around its central character Oliver (Barry Keoghan). More specifically, it is about the relationship between Oscar and the title object, Saltburn. Appearing half an hour into the movie, Saltburn is a plush estate in the English countryside, where Oliver has been invited by Oxford classmate Felix to stay in the summer, to hopefully alleviate agonies after his father's death. The first half hour of the movie takes place in Oxford, tracing the first encounter and the subsequent development of friendship (or maybe more) between the two young men. Felix is the born-with-silver-spoon-in-mouth type. Oliver is a common folk, often appearing as nerdy and clueless, although academically, he is a budding scholar at Oxford.
As the door of Saltburn opens to Oliver's knock, stone-faced butler Duncan appears, and immediately tells him off for arriving earlier than expected. Felix comes to the rescue, jesting "Duncan, stop being so frightening". After a guided tour, Oliver is brought to the living room to meet the other players at Saltburn. A close-up of a conversation shows two glamorous top-notch stars, Rosamund Pike playing Felix's mother Elspeth and Carey Mulligan playing a frequent guest "Poor Dear Pamela". We see also Felix's standoffish father and erotic sister. Of the other guest, the one standing out is Oxford classmate Farleigh, whose favored place with the Saltburn population seems to be threatened by the arrival of Oliver, as sort of a new toy to these elite people.
I am not going to elaborate the interaction of Oliver with the various characters during this summer escapade in Saltburn. Quite a lot of those are erotic, as I mentioned, and some even lethal. And, as I also mentioned, despite the somewhat fragmented and haphazard narrative, there is a plot.
There is no question that Saltburn is Keoghan's movie. Oliver is a bit of an enigma. It is no exaggeration to say that Keoghan's interpretation of this character drives the movie. Pike, always a delight to watch, does not have as much challenge as in many of her other iconic movies. It's sheer joy, of course, to see Mulligan (I did not even know she was in this movie). It's a pity that she has only a few scenes, less than many of the other support characters. But this is a Mulligan I have not seen before and I would not spoil it by saying anything further.
While "Saltburn" is not everybody's cup of tea, none can dispute its stylish achievement in cinematography and product design. And there are Pike and Mulligan, even though it is not anywhere near any of their important work.
The movie moves around its central character Oliver (Barry Keoghan). More specifically, it is about the relationship between Oscar and the title object, Saltburn. Appearing half an hour into the movie, Saltburn is a plush estate in the English countryside, where Oliver has been invited by Oxford classmate Felix to stay in the summer, to hopefully alleviate agonies after his father's death. The first half hour of the movie takes place in Oxford, tracing the first encounter and the subsequent development of friendship (or maybe more) between the two young men. Felix is the born-with-silver-spoon-in-mouth type. Oliver is a common folk, often appearing as nerdy and clueless, although academically, he is a budding scholar at Oxford.
As the door of Saltburn opens to Oliver's knock, stone-faced butler Duncan appears, and immediately tells him off for arriving earlier than expected. Felix comes to the rescue, jesting "Duncan, stop being so frightening". After a guided tour, Oliver is brought to the living room to meet the other players at Saltburn. A close-up of a conversation shows two glamorous top-notch stars, Rosamund Pike playing Felix's mother Elspeth and Carey Mulligan playing a frequent guest "Poor Dear Pamela". We see also Felix's standoffish father and erotic sister. Of the other guest, the one standing out is Oxford classmate Farleigh, whose favored place with the Saltburn population seems to be threatened by the arrival of Oliver, as sort of a new toy to these elite people.
I am not going to elaborate the interaction of Oliver with the various characters during this summer escapade in Saltburn. Quite a lot of those are erotic, as I mentioned, and some even lethal. And, as I also mentioned, despite the somewhat fragmented and haphazard narrative, there is a plot.
There is no question that Saltburn is Keoghan's movie. Oliver is a bit of an enigma. It is no exaggeration to say that Keoghan's interpretation of this character drives the movie. Pike, always a delight to watch, does not have as much challenge as in many of her other iconic movies. It's sheer joy, of course, to see Mulligan (I did not even know she was in this movie). It's a pity that she has only a few scenes, less than many of the other support characters. But this is a Mulligan I have not seen before and I would not spoil it by saying anything further.
While "Saltburn" is not everybody's cup of tea, none can dispute its stylish achievement in cinematography and product design. And there are Pike and Mulligan, even though it is not anywhere near any of their important work.