Written, Produced and Directed by Emerald Fennell
*1/2 (one ad a half stars)
RATED R
I would give this film points for trying...but honestly, did it?
By this point in 2024, almost 130 years into the history of cinema, it would be extremely hard pressed into seeing anything that could be presented as completely "original"--the very type of film that has essentially been unseen. This feeling seems to be especially true these days with the prevalence of sequels, prequels, reboots, re-imaginings and so on.
However, I have extremely often been more than ready to proclaim something as being or feeling "original" and I know that I will do so again. I firmly believe that so many times over, filmmakers and cinematic storytellers are able to harness a specific artistry that allows them to combine so many elements, from the familiar to the unfamiliar, that once completed, we are given something that looks, sounds and feels unlike anything else. Or.. the originality in question arrives completely from a filmmaker's distinctive, idiosyncratic voice, taking the overly familiar and making everything feel fresh because of their specific worldview.
Granted, wat is original to someone may be well worn to another, so what I am speaking about may not be the easiest thing to relay. But, in essence, when it comes to being original in film, you know it when you see it and you really know it when you don't.
For my cinematic sensibilities Emerald Fennell's "Saltburn," her dark, psychological, erotic thriller falls sharply within the latter category. It is a stylish, slow burner that works itself up into sequences of demented frenzy while simultaneously not feeling in any bit of a hurry to get anywhere significant...until it does, and then, it's a mad dash to the point of being absolutely ridiculous as sheer logic is tossed out of the window in order to keep the so-called shocks coming. Beyond all of that, Fennell has helmed a work that is not remotely original in any conceivable way while also not possessing a point of view about its characters, its location or anything suggesting that Fennell thought beyond the superficial. As I say from time to time, I see these things so you don't have to. "Saltburn" is not the worst film I have seen in a while by any means. I have seen much worse. But, we have all seen better...as has Emerald Fennell. So much so, this film feels nearly copied from one exceedingly better film in particular.
Set during the early 2000's, Emerald Fennell's "Saltburn" stars Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford student enrolled on scholarship and all but ostracized by his wealthy classmates. Infatuated, and soon obsessed, with Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) his gorgeous, popular and yes, exceedingly wealthy classmate, Oliver initiates a "meet cute" (via a broken down bicycle) and afterwards a friendship.
During their budding friendship, Oliver shares stories of his dire home life, including mental illness, substance abuse and his Father's sudden death, to which Felix grows increasingly empathetic, to the point where he invites Oliver to stay with him and his family upon their massive estate, Saltburn.
Upon arrival at the estate, Oliver Quick is quickly introduced to the eclectic cast of characters in residence including: Felix's parents, Sir James Catton (Richard E. Grant) and Lady Elspeth Catton (Rosamund Pike), his sister, Venetia (Alison Oliver), Felix's African-American cousin and Oliver's Oxford nemesis, Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe) and "Poor Dear" Pamela (Carey Mulligan), Elspeth's friend and "hanger on."
As the summer wears on and Oliver and Felix's friendship grows closer, Oliver also begins to insinuate himself within the family, much to Farleigh's chagrin and intensifying suspicion towards Oliver's true intentions. Which by now might begin to sound more than a little familiar...
Back in the Winter of 1999, I remember going to a doctor's appointment and while we were getting ourselves re-acquainted, she happened to off handedly mention, "I saw the absolute worst movie last night." Of course, my curiosity was piqued. I asked her what film she saw and when she told me, I was genuinely stunned as I had seen the same film and found it to being exceptional. Asking why her reaction was so strongly negative, she responded, "I hated it because it had absolutely no redeeming social value whatsoever."
The film in question was Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999). And my doctor's takeaway from her viewing experience essentially mirrors my own concerning Emerald Fennell's 'Saltburn."
Now, to be clear, my reaction has really nothing to do with being remotely offended by anything in the film's content as I do not offend easily. My reaction is based in several issues, including how little Fennell gave any thought to her film other than copying "The Talented Mr. Ripley" whole cloth.
Yes, "Saltburn" is a stylish, at times opulent looking film. Emerald Fennel clearly knows how to construct her world, at least, through her visual and cinematic aesthetic. The film houses some clever dialogue, good performances overall and a chilly shell this side of Stanley Kubrick. And yet, the Fennell crawls trough her story until it feels that even she has had enough of the proceedings as the last, say 35-40 minutes of this two hour plus film crams so many "plot twists" at such a speed as to incur whiplash. Logical storytelling steps never appear at all, most crucially as the story spirals into darkness. Situations and consequences bear no weight and everything seems to come to pass with surprising ease that runs in conflict with the supposed complexities of the plot.
One giant misstep is the casting of Barry Keoghan as the 18-20 year old Oliver Quick. This is not due to any lack of skill as he throws himself into the part and is game for anything required of him. It is the fact that he is visibly too old for the role! Yes, when Fennell clouds him in mood lighting or darkness, Keoghan's boyish features are identifiable. But, when he hits broad daylight! Wow. I honestly haven't seen casting for teen age/young adult characters this egregious since the...ahem...senior class of T-Birds and Pink Ladies of Rydell High sang themselves through the school hallways in Randal Kleiser's "Grease" (1978)!! This quality was so distracting that I was more than ready to experience a plot twist like the one found Jaume Collet-Serra's grotesque "Orphan" (2009), but "Saltburn" isn't as daring as it thinks it is because when it is all said and done, we have seen it all before and better.
Back to this theme of what makes a film "original." If you are familiar with Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley," as well as the 1955 Patricia Highsmith novel from which the film is based, of course, we know that this story did not necessarily originate a plot starring a parasitic interloper infiltrating high society. Whatever emotions derived from Minghella's film arrive because he, his actors and his cinematic team, and most importantly, his first rate screenplay, ensured that for whatever any familiarity, he needed to dig deeply and create full, rich characters to allow the story to feel anew, especially when the setting of Italy contained major significance. Minghella strongly understood that the characters and the location needed to inform each other therefore, deepening our understanding of each element. We understood precisely why Jude Law's character was so magnetic and where Matt Damon's character's sociopathic tendencies developed and how the setting of Italy influenced each.
Returning to my comparison to Stanley Kubrick, whose "The Shining" (1980) clearly feels to be a key influence in Fennell's "Saltburn," all the way to the garden maze on the estate grounds. After 44 years, we all know and can still feel the cruel, cold dread of the Overlook Hotel as we remember every nook, cranny and carpet pattern plus its own entity and how it related to that film's core characters.
More recently, we have Alexander Payne's superb "The Holdovers" (2023), a film that feels fresh due to the depths of the screenplay, attention to the layers of the characters and how they all connect and relate to the Barton boarding school. The setting and characters are inseparable from each other.
Unfortunately, there is no such detail or resonance to nearly any one moment in Emerald Fennell's "Saltburn." It is as if Fennell figured that whomever would potentially see her film would not have any knowledge of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," so what would it bother to lift the plot for herself? Just tweak the proceedings with the hollow flash and style that went out of fashion with Bret Easton Ellis novels, a red herring of a mystery that ultimately never comes to pass, and thunderously plunk in three scenes (involving a bathtub, a gravesite and the finale, respectively) which are solely designed to get viewers talking with an aghast "Can you believe it?!" demeanor and let's call it a movie.
But since Fennell's film possesses no insight into human nature, the Saltburn estate is as indistinguishable from any remote English mansion or prep school or Hogwarts, and essentially only exists to get people talking about those aforementioned three scenes, then how could it have any redeeming social value? These scenes, these "shocking scenes" are attached to nothing tangible making them wasted opportunities to update the conceit of the story or the lives of the characters.
Emerald Fennel's "Saltburn" is a resoundingly disappointing film that is completely devoid of character. And that's because she never bothered to write any.
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