Saltburn

by Philip Price

Photo: Amazon MGM Studios

Director: Emerald Fennell 
Starring: Barry Keoghan, Richard E. Grant & Rosamund Pike 
Rated: R (strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language, some disturbing violent content and drug use)
Runtime: 2 hours & 11 minutes

This is not necessarily what I expected from director Emerald Fennell's ‘Lady Bird’ and my feelings as well as the film itself are at such odds with one another it's difficult to say whether “Saltburn” is subverting or misunderstanding what it wants to discuss, but either way - it's fascinating. Fennell and Linus Sandgren's visual tendencies and surplus of style are enchanting and the multiple motifs it scratches are at least vaguely interesting yet at times this also felt like the equivalent of a feature-length Fall Out Boy video.

I like Fall Out Boy, don't get me wrong, but they have a very specific tone and given the time period of their prominence compared with the setting of this film it almost feels intentional if not strictly appropriate. The flair, the sophistication and the elegance of the whole aesthetic are truly to be commended though, from the sky in the shot of Barry Keoghan's Oliver Quick laying at the foot of a grave (how long did they wait around for that exact right moment?) to how it takes advantage of its grandiose location, each composition is just that with Fennell layering in a strong string of soundtrack selections that only heighten the scale and emotion of the picture.

Perks of this rollercoaster of an experience include Richard E. Grant laughing at “Superbad” (despite the timeline of this not adding up) which is worth the price of admission alone. Furthermore, the combination of Grant and Rosamund Pike doing their absurdist take on a dysfunctional (but wealthy) family who sweep all their conflict and complicated emotions under the rug for fear of the facade not remaining intact and their fairy tale of existence becoming the inverse is arguably the best executed and most interesting aspect of the entire film.

As fun as theorizing about ‘Harry Potter’ threesomes while lounging by the pool and watching “The Ring” all summer sounds, Fennell's attempts at convincing herself that to pick apart the fact “Saltburn” is more style than substance is lazy are eventually drawn moot by her film's alleviation of any semblance of real substance leaving nothing for anything but the eyes to enjoy. Which, in this instance, isn't necessarily a bad bargain all things considered.

Chief among the main ideas the film attempts to investigate is a dissection of the rich and their need to rescue and liberate up to the point those they've helped feel a sense of comfort - cured even - at which point they suddenly become an imposter. A stranger. I told you, it's broad and a movie made as specifically as “Saltburn” in every other facet needs a main idea that is just as so. I say this, of course, and then Fennell hits you with a line like, "You don't pick a child's name thinking about what it will one day look like on a headstone." and pulls you right back in to consider things further.

Great clothes though and bonus points for featuring a Crunchie. Love those. Speaking of candy, how do we never see any of the pretty people working out? The devil is indeed in the details, but unfortunately for Fennell and her characters here, the details aren't as complicated or as scandalous as she'd like them to be.