Emerald Fennell was given a very tall order to follow up Promising Young Woman, her feature film debut that won her an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It spoke to the growing conversation around abuse, consent, and victim blaming. It gave us Carey Mulligan at her best and it cemented Fennell as a filmmaker to be reckoned with. While Saltburn makes a committed effort to live up to its predecessor, its lack of a deeper meaning or bite places it firmly in second place. While it is not without its merits — mainly the performances and cinematography — Saltburn adds nothing new to the recent burst of “Eat the Rich” films. However, it’s still a very fun ride worth taking — one full of excess, dirt, comedy, and bodily fluids.

What Is ‘Saltburn’ About?
Image via MGM

Saltburn has been compared a lot to The Talented Mr. Ripley and fairly so. It follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), an ostensibly poor Oxford student on a scholarship. He hasn’t even gotten to his dorm before he’s mocked for his conservative clothes, which may as well serve as a sign that reads “I’m way less off than the rest of you.” His only friend is a neurotic geek who screams at him to ask him a sum so he can prove his genius. From across the college’s square, he spots Felix (Jacob Elordi).

Felix is handsome, tall, has a title, and comes from so much generational wealth it would make the Mudochs jealous. But Felix is living an entirely different experience to Oliver, one full of parties, girls, drugs, and so much adoration. When the two men bump into each other and Oliver does Felix a kindness, they become quick friends. Felix is compelled by Oliver’s story of his drug-addicted father and drunken mother. He has nothing, and Felix has absolutely everything. So, after Oliver has a family death, Felix invites him to Saltburn, his family estate, for the summer. “They’ll love you,” Felix tells Oliver, referring to his family. His mother, Elsbeth (Rosamund Pike), is just as riveted by Oliver’s “horrific” beginnings. She feeds off the poverty porn and reminds Oliver again and again how awful he has it. Felix’s sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) sees Oliver as a new toy to play with but, as she says to him, Felix doesn’t like to share his toys. In the background, seeing through Oliver’s politeness and humility is Felix’s cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), waiting for the penny to drop so Oliver can be exposed for what he truly is.

‘Saltburn’ Is One of Many Recent “Eat the Rich” Stories
Image Via MGM

Saltburn’s downfall comes in its lack of message. If it had been released four years ago it may have shocked audiences and felt like something fresh, something that was peeling back the luxurious carpet of the wealthy to show them for how ugly they can be. But then we had Succession, The White Lotus, The Menu, and so many other titles that beat it to the punch. Saltburn doesn’t eat the rich so much as it licks them, slurps them, and then spits them back out. What Fennell does achieve here is a hilarious case of pointing and laughing at them. Richard E. Grant and Rosamund Pike are the stars as Felix’s Lord and Lady parents. They’ve become so drunk from their wealth that they can’t see straight. When someone dies, Elsbeth dismisses it saying “She’d do anything for attention.” There are some big laughs here partly from Fennell’s observant writing and partly from the talented actors executing it. And while the material is hilarious and observant, it isn’t biting.

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What is gloriously fresh about Saltburn is the juxtaposition between these opulent English estates and the modern banalities within them. We are so used to only seeing these locations in costume dramas set centuries ago. Here, we see the beautiful Saltburn, with its paintings of all the King Henrys and antiques dating back ages. Against this, Felix and co. read the newest Harry Potter and discuss whether the iconic trio ever had a threesome. They watch Superbad on couches that cost tens of thousands of pounds and they scream at The Ring in their silks and cashmere. The 1% are brought firmly down to earth, where they indulge in the same commercialism as all the peasants they’re afraid of. The parties look like they’ve come from Project X, with 2000s electric pop hits replacing Mozart. Bridgerton this is not. It’s hilarious to behold, and a reminder that when it comes to filling the evenings or entertaining ourselves, we’re all on par.

The Cast of ‘Saltburn’ Is Its Best Element
Image via MGM

Fennell chose her cast wisely, and it’s easily the film’s best aspect. Barry Keoghan is the resident “little freak” of Hollywood, and Saltburn is the best reflection of that. To go back to the Ripley comparison, Keoghan goes miles beyond Matt Damon. He isn’t afraid to be crass, embarrassing, and menacing as well as vulnerable and terrified. The biggest question Saltburn asks is “Who is the real victim here?” and Keoghan’s performance solidifies that. Elordi is perfect for playboy Felix. While he is in no way a stand-out, he fills his role well with charm, charisma, and wealth-induced gullibility. Pike and Grant are the secondary stars, playing stuffy toffs pitch-perfect, obsessed with their own voice, as if anything they say will become true just by speaking it out loud. While Venetia isn’t given much development beyond the poor little sister who needs constant sex to fill her lack of self-worth, she is given a scene near the end to have her voice heard and Alison Oliver takes it by the horns.

Saltburn may not add anything new to the wealth conversation, but it does paint a different picture of lords and ladies than we are used to. Fennell’s direction outdoes her writing here, and the cinematography from Linus Sandgren is exquisite (no surprise). Saltburn is more something to behold than to be understood, swapping out biting commentary for some glorious images featuring actors who rarely miss a beat. Between its movie and literature references and killer soundtrack (MGM’Ts “Time to Pretend” makes for a great montage), it’s one of the most fun retrospectives on 2000s culture. I also would like to publicly thank Fennell for featuring The Cheeky Girls in a mainstream Hollywood movie. If you know, you know.

Rating: B

The Big Picture

Saltburn lacks a deeper meaning or bite, proving to be among the lower tier of “Eat the Rich” films as it adds nothing new to the conversation. The film showcases opulent English estates and modern banalities within them, juxtaposing luxury with mundane activities and bringing the 1% down to Earth. The cast of Saltburn is the film’s best element, with standout performances from Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, and Richard E. Grant.

Saltburn screened at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival.