Following an exceptional directorial debut in Promising Young Woman (2020), Emerald Fennell delivers this wildly entertaining dark comedy that has stunned audiences. Saltburn follows an Oxford student who is drawn into the world of a charming aristocratic classmate and subsequently invited to spend the Summer at his family’s estate.
The best way to immerse yourself in Saltburn is to go in with as little information as possible. The narrative is enthralling and spellbinding in the wildest way, one which never feels like it’s dragging and is perfectly paced to lock you in early. Emerald Fennell is one of the best up-and-coming writers – her Oscar-winning Promising Young Woman screenplay was perfectly constructed, and this one isn’t too far behind. Her ability to craft a narrative that’s unpredictable through every turn is astounding. At no point in this film could I have predicted where it was going – the characters she has written are so chaotic and bizarre that it’s near-impossible to decipher their next move. Every scene pushes the story forward, giving us valuable insight into the characters and the wealthy pocket of the world they inhabit. Impressively, there’s not a moment of downtime – Fennell has ensured every scene is integral in maintaining a sense of tension and unease, strengthening the dark undertones and psychological elements. She has clearly written the narrative with an end goal in mind and made sure every second is spend servicing that climax.
It’s chaotic, harrowing, darkly funny and beautiful all at once. The fact that Fennell has been able to balance all of these conflicting tones and craft an engaging, thrilling story around them is brilliant. Her ability to build tension through visuals and dialogue is incredible to witness. My favourite scene is one where the entire shot is bathed in a deep red glow. If you’re yet to see the movie, that will make no sense to you. Within the scene is some of the best dialogue, best acting and best cinematography, all working towards building an insane amount of tension that will chill you to your core. This ties into the unsettling, psychological element that Fennell instils on much of the film. Thanks to the 4:3 aspect ratio and heavy use of close-ups and tight shots, there’s a claustrophobic feel that lines every scene regardless of the content. In contrasting the tension, Fennell weaves in moments of dark humour that are hilarious in how ridiculous and uncomfortable they are. They’re not jarring in any way and fit with the overall mayhem of the narrative.
Another compliment of Fennell’s writing is that she’s created a lineup of compelling characters who are all wonderfully unique and fun to watch. From Jacob Elordi’s Felix to Rosamund Pike’s Elspeth, there’s enthralling qualities that make their respective arcs thoroughly entertaining. Better yet, the performances behind all of these characters are just brilliant. Time and time again, Barry Keoghan delivers exceptional performances in which he transforms and embodies his role. As the lead in this film, Keoghan is captivating in every moment – there’s this earnest quality to his performance that makes him instantly likeable as the protagonist. His chemistry with other actors is great and the way he showcases the growth of his character in the most subtle ways is a sign of a quality actor. While not nominated for this outing, I’m sure he will win an Oscar sooner rather than later. Rosamund Pike puts in one of her best performances as the instantly memorable and loveably insane Elspeth. She really leans into the role and contributes to much of the quirky dark comedy.
In the end, Saltburn is triumphant in its writing, performances and gripping story. The growing tension and enthralling love story at the centre of the narrative is best experienced without any prior knowledge of what’s in store. As a result, much of this review has been spent tip-toeing around revealing too much information. There’s many awesome moments and elements I want to highlight, but cannot due to avoiding spoilers. From beginning to end, it’s an absolute blast. It’s unpredictable, wildly entertaining and one of the most rewarding cinematic experiences of the year. Once the credits rolled, I had the instant desire to rewatch it – something that can’t be said about many films from the past year.
Side note: Despite a flurry of nominations at the BAFTAs and other award ceremonies, it was entirely absent amongst the recently-announced Oscar nominations. While there’s plenty of good competition from the past year, I feel there’s a few categories in which it’s a shame to not see it appear.
9.2/10
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