Saltburn

[EachandEveryone]

On Amazon from today. I saw it at cinema now im going to watch it again. I enjoyed it but it is quite cringy in parts😃

That's what I think. What was the 'point' of this film? What was it trying to say? Sure, it was entertaining enough, but it seemed to be aiming higher than that, not entirely successfully in my view.

I too found the above scenes gratuitously nasty, and I don't consider myself squeamish.

The point I was trying to make was that the film was confused in its messaging - so some scenes were supposed to be an over the top parody but in other scenes characters and their lifestyles were supposed to be taken seriously. So what was it - an over the top black comedy or a commentary on class? IMO it didn’t succeed as either and nor as any sort of mystery as the denouement could be seen a mile off.

Yes I agree that’s the flaw with this film. It’s well acted and beautifully shot but I thought the messages were mixed. Also thought the ending was weak.

Maybe I’m the only one that found Pikes character wrong. I think she’d have been much cooler, much cleverer and more involved.

Was it meant to be a funny film? I didn’t get that. I quite liked the grim scenes as they were different. That licking the bath scene was so disturbing!

I also think Oliver lying about his background muddled any 'class analysis'. I guess you could say that to the upper classes it barely matters whether you come from a comfortable suburban home or a drug addled council flat. They all might as well come from another planet. Remember the running joke in The Windsors where the wealthy, home counties dwelling Middletons were thought of as 'gypsies'?

I suppose Oliver's lie served a plot purpose in making Felix feel sorry for him and so invite him to stay, only for Felix to want to want him out once he discovered Oliver had been deceiving him. But in terms of any 'class commentary', it was just confusing.

I found Oliver too old. He looked like he could be the Dad of some of the other students. It was very amusing though.

The basic plot of the film was ridiculously far fetched - the fact that Felix invited him to stay for the summer - surely he had closer friends? Also the fact that he got away with poisoning Felix, did his death not even get investigated? Not to mention Evelyn inviting him back to saltburn years later, only to get mysteriously ill and be killed by Oliver, again with no consequences. Bit silly really. But the film seems more about the upper class characters and the shock scenes rather than the plot.

See, I thought the class commentary was really clear. Oliver was never going to be one of 'them'. Even when Farleigh commented on him 'Almost passing'. Even Olivers nice middle class family there was just a touch of uncomfortableness with the talk around the 'Spag Bol'.

I think living that kind of life, the same people, the same parties, no real challenges in life is why they like to find people as 'toys'. Its referenced throughout the film of previous guests of Saltburn who came and went. The toys are interesting - Espeths wide eyed enthusiasm for Ollies drug addled parents, to her commentary on the drunk girls at the party reminded me of films such as Sense and Sensibility with Mrs Jennings constantly gossiping and looking for little projects, meddling with peoples lives etc.

Actually bit of an awkward one in our house as Dd2s best friends house is like that and we are “normal”. Lovely girl but it does get a little awkward. Hope Dd is nothing like the main character!

@CoolShoeshine totally agree, plot very silly and made little sense. Class commentary aspect offered no insight at all imo as there was no meaningful interaction between Ollie and the Toffs. They had him to stay, that’s it.

I loved it to look at and thought a lot of it was very funny and well-acted. As a serious film it made no sense at all, I just read it as OTT black comedy and enjoyed it on that level. Also saw the so-called twist coming from the start but didn't see what it really added. Oxford wasn't like that even back in my day in the late 80s at the height of the Brideshead thing, most kids are middle-class like Ollie and the toffs were a definite minority, by 2006 they must have been nearly extinct but if you're not taking the film seriously then who cares, except Oxford admissions who are probably horrified at how this will have dragged them backwards.

I just don’t see it as a black comedy. The shell shocked suicidal sister, ultimate suicide of the father and the way Rosamund Pike ended up just didn’t give off that vibe. Too much cruelty.

Kind hearts and coronets does the black comedy thing so much better on the same theme.

An interesting one. Barry Keoghan is quite unpleasant looking, having seen him in Sacred Deer. And a very good actor. I'd like to see him against type as a romantic lead.

He's not unpleasant looking. He has lovely eyes and a nice smile. Not pretty but not unpleasant.

Black comedy is like this though. Have you seen Nighty Night & other Julua Davis's work?

Hilariously bad. Not remotely amusing either.

Oliver rips out the mother's breathing tube. No questions asked? No investigation into Felix's death? Etc etc.

So lame. And there was just no energy between the characters. No real reason depicted for the attraction between any of the young people.

The best character was Michael Gavey. And the scenery.

I watched it again last night. The three scenes were not even shocking because I knew what was coming.

I still enjoyed the music, the dance and the antlers.

It isn't a documentary, not everything has to be spelled out clearly. It's an entertaining story.

I agree. Many films aren't but are enjoyable.

I would say there were definitely energy between the characters. The actors were all good. I loved the Sister.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor it's bollocks. Sorry.

…. To you.

The plot was pretty poor. A house/estate like Saltburn (and the money to run it) wasn't just going to be left to the mother to leave to her lover. It would have been wrapped up in trusts etc. No way would Oliver have inherited it - or inherited it without scrutiny.

I found Rosamund Pike very entertaining though and there were some very good scenes (the lunch after Felix's death, for example).

Off topic, but your user name conjures such happy memories, @Pallisers. Almost nothing in life has been as absorbing as times spent with them! 📚

Emerald Fennell is only at the beginning of a long and successful ‘major motion picture’ career, (as opposed to all her other work), so it’s to be expected that she’s throwing in a million references from other films. It may be that in ten years time we’ll find her (already compelling) storytelling more cohesive and convincing?

You're probably right @Pallisers When they met by 'chance' that day in the coffee shop I wondered if they might marry.

@MistletoeRegrets, that's my experience with Trollope too. Also the joy of first reading him and realising what a prolific author he was. I'm a member of a Trollope reading group at a library and when they had an open day the guy who runs the group was sitting with all the reading groups with his Trollope sign. He was a bit disconcerted when someone asked what was a Trollope and why we should be be interested in them and another person asked would it not be better to read the novels in the original French! We're doing The Small House at Allington this month.

To me the biggest plot hole was the trip to Oliver’s parents.

how did he not realise they were driving towards Liverpool?
why didn’t he find an excuse to stop Felix driving there?
it’s a three hour drive - did they really sit in silence the entire time on the way back?