Hooo boy, Saltburn - a black comedy psychological thriller - is something else. In a good way! It’s terrific. I saw a review that described it as “a tale of grotesque overprivilege” and to that I say, BOOM, you are correct good lady.
Starring faces familiar to *ahem* my vintage, Saltburn features Rosamund Pike and Richard E Grant (both hilarious in this) as well as Hot Young Things Jacob Elordi (Euphoria & Priscilla) and Barry Keoghan (Banshees of Inisherin). There’s also a relatively small but hilarious role for Carey Mulligan.
Set in the early 2000s, Saltburn follows Ollie (Keoghan) to Oxford University where he’s known as the scholarship kid wearing clothes from op shops. He strikes up a friendship with aristocratic Felix (Elordi, who is Australian) and is introduced to Felix’s family and whole world when he visits their country manor Saltburn for the summer. WEIRD STUFF HAPPENS IN THE SUMMER AT SALTBURN YOU GUYS. Like, super weird. Honestly, I gasped numerous times! I also laughed a lot too so it’s not all bleakly gasp-worthy!
Regular readers will know I love a film that runs 90-100 minutes and at 131 minutes I reckon Saltburn could have easily coped with a 20-25 minute trim and still been an excellent film, but it’s a small gripe really.
Saltburn is rated MA15+ and opens on Thursday 16 November 2023.