Saltburn
Overview
Saltburn is a 2023 psychological thriller film written and directed by Emerald Fennell, starring Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, a shy, awkward, and scholarship student at Oxford University; Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton, a handsome, charming, and wealthy aristocrat; Rosamund Pike as Elspeth Catton, Felix's eccentric, narcissistic mother; and Richard E. Grant as Sir James Catton, Felix's father. The film is set in 2006, at Oxford and at Saltburn, the Catton family's sprawling, gothic estate. Oliver is a lonely, socially awkward outsider who is desperate to be accepted by the popular, wealthy students. He befriends Felix, who takes pity on him. Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at Saltburn. The film is a dark, twisted, and perverse satire of the British class system. Oliver is a cunning, manipulative, and sociopathic social climber. He seduces Felix's sister, Venetia (Alison Oliver), he drugs Felix's cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), and he eventually murders Felix, and then Felix's parents. The film ends with Oliver dancing naked through the halls of Saltburn, having inherited the estate. Saltburn was a critical and commercial success, earning over $30 million on a $25 million budget. The film was controversial for its depictions of sexuality and violence, but it was praised for its performances, its writing, and its dark, twisted humor. Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike were both nominated for Golden Globe Awards.
