Mini Review: Saltburn (2023)

We’re kickstarting the new year with some mini reviews, and why not begin 2024 with the utterly decisive and extremely spicy, Saltburn by Emerald Fennell. 

Barry Keoghan as Oliver in Saltburn, directed by Emerald Fennell. Credit: Amazon Studios

Starring the gorgeous humans that are Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, Saltburn centres on Oxford university student Oliver Quick (Keoghan) who becomes enticed with the popular Felix Catton (Elordi), who later invites him to spend the summer at his family’s estate, known as Saltburn. 

While the film’s cinematography and art design are an absolute ‘vibe’ – reminiscent of a saturated noughties where eyebrow piercings and singing karaoke to Flo Rida’s ‘Low’ reigned supreme – the storyline falls a little flat with questions left unanswered, especially confusion around Oliver’s true motivations in wanting to get closer to the eccentric Catton family in the first place. 

Nonetheless, you’ll either love Saltburn for its campy nostalgia and witty dialogue (much of this comes from Rosamund Pike’s Elspeth Catton) or hate it for Oliver’s ambivalence and squeamish sexual fetishes.

Just don’t watch it with your parents!

⋆⋆⋆