SALTBURN

UK, 2023, 127 minutes, Colour.

Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordie, Archie Madekwe, Rosamund Pike, Richard E.Grant, Carey Mulligan, Alison Oliver, Paul Rhys.

Directed by Emerald Fennell.

While Saltburn is the name of a sumptuous English country estate, its sound echoes something like a chafing irritant. Not entirely irrelevant to the themes.

Writer-director, Emerald Fennell, won a writing Oscar for her initial feature, Promising Young Woman. This was quite disturbing experience – and Emerald Fennell’s audience is now offered even more disturbing experiences.

This is the story of Oliver Cook, played with sometimes deceptive intensity by Barry Keoghan (Irish, having made an impact with Killing of a Sacred Deer, Banshees of Innisfail). He narrates, quietly taking us into his confidence, pondering his emotions and motives. He is from Preston, average family, though he has some stories about his parents and failures, scholarship to Oxford, looked down on by elite students, but in a kindly gesture, befriending the aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordie who was a very tall Elvis in Priscilla). He is spurned by Felix’s financially dependent cousin, Kylie (Archie Madekwe Gran Turismo).

In fact, Saltburn has a a very strong cast, especially at home with Rosamund Pike at her superior best as the mother and a dithering Richard E.Grant as the father. Alison Oliver is the precocious daughter and Paul Rhys the most supercilious Butler ever on screen! And there is an arresting cameo, Pamela the unwanted but tolerated guest at Saltburn, from the promising Young woman herself, Carey Mulligan.

Felix invites Oliver to Saltburn for the summer – a benign gesture, but very precarious as Oliver makes his tentative way in relating to the family.

So many commentators have made the link between Oliver to Tom Ripley, remembering Anthony Minghella’s classic The Talented Mr Ripley. And, with the country estate, there are references to Brideshead revisited. And, it is probably fair to say that this is Evelyn Waugh 21^st-century style, something of Brideshead Re-revisited, where society has made a descent into the vapid without any trace of the transcendent.

However, a useful comparison might be Pier Paolo Pasolini’s highly controversial 1968 drama, Teorema, an initially sweet Terence Stamp invited to live with the family, his manipulation of each of the characters for their destruction. (And, at this time, there were two British variations on this theme, Michael York in Something for Everyone and Peter McHenery in Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane.)

A popular saying, sometimes cliche, is that all is fair in love and war. Oliver confides to us his feelings and his love, and his sometimes provocative sexual behaviour, but, as his stay for the summer goes on, it would seem that for him all is fair in the undermining war he has set out on.

So, certainly a provocative film, certainly an uncomfortable film to watch, sometimes funny, always serious, a satiric attack on traditional British aristocracy, more than a touch of the mordant.

Barry Keoghan certainly gives a strong and memorable performance, and, in retrospect, especially with the final unmasking and literal exposure, a very subtle performance. This will probably be talked about for a long time – and it will certainly be very interesting to see the next steps in his career.

1. The title, the estate, the echoes of the sound with salt and burning, as relevant to all of this behaviour and the families experience?
2. The title, the lettering, the gates, the mansion, sumptuous interiors, the exteriors, the grounds? The musical score?
3. Echoes of Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh for the 2020s? But a complacent aristocracy, self-focused, in decline, nothing transcendent?
4. Echoes of Patricia Highsmith, Tom Ripley, the opportunist, insinuating himself, relating to the characters, destroying them? Sociopathic? The films of the 60s like Teorema?
5. The focus on Oliver Cook, Barry Keoghan’s performance, confiding to the audience, hopes, loves, emotional puzzles? His commentary on his behaviour? His age, his story of his parents, negative images, and the comic melodrama of Felix discovering the truth, the ordinary parents and their hopes? His scholarship, the importance of being at Oxford? The chatty friend, his belly tolerating this, abandoning him for Felix’s invitation? Revelation of his opportunism?
6. The incident with the bike, helping Felix, Felix’s gratitude, invite him into the circle? (And the final revelation that he can had contrived the flat tyre and created the situation for insinuating himself?) The other friends, conversation, drinking, the situation with paying for the drinks (and the later revelation that he did have enough money but capitalised on Felix’s generosity)? However, Farleigh seeing right through him?
7. The invitation to the summer, the journey, arriving early, Duncan as the butler, fastidious, snobbish, his observing Oliver throughout the visit? The impression of the home? Felix and the introduction to his parents, his sister, and finally being present, depending on the family for his finances, his back story about his mother, America?
8. The summer holidays, relaxing, the swimming, discussions, socials, parties? Oliver and his birthday party on the lavish presentation?
9. Oliver insinuating himself, the mother, social snob, but vapid ideas, the treatment of Pamela, her behaviour at the table, her back story, the hence to get rid of her, and the story of her suicide? The father, seemingly dithering, preoccupied with his interests? But their both accepting Oliver?
10. Venetia, eating disorders, her age, her self-assertion, smoking, sexuality, the encounter with Oliver and its being observed, Farleigh and his angry reaction, Venetia and her continued flirting, the eating, a dependence on Oliver?
11. The visit to his parents, Felix insisting, the revelation of the truth, their being very ordinary, his lies, the consequences for Oliver?
12. The ambiguity of the birthday party, in the context of his lies, the birthday cake? Costumes, masks, being unmasked? And the satisfaction of the parents in hosting the party and its success?
13. The image of the labyrinth, the meeting with Felix, the challenge – and Felix’s death, the blood, and eventually seen in the final flashbacks? The encounter with Venetia, the bath, the blood, her death?
14. The funerals, whether Oliver should stay or not, the initial welcome, the father suggesting that he should go, Oliver refusing? Ousted?
15. Sometime later, the seemingly chance encounter with the mother, the cakes, the discussion, her invitation? The story of her husband, his death?
16. The mother, her illness, Oliver contriving it, removing the connections, her death?
17. His success in ingratiating himself with everyone, the consequences, dependence, his inheritance?
18. The dramatic impact of his stripping, after seeing him lying on the grave of Felix, the sexual overtones, and then his dancing, completely unmasked and exposed, throughout the house which was now his?