Author’s Note: Saltburn was directed by Emerald Fennell (of Promising Young Woman fame). This was meant to be an entire essay, but I couldn’t decide on how to illustrate every point, so I decided to provide you with my observations instead. There will be SPOILERS, so do be warned.
Opening shot: A badge of arms on a silver cigarette case. There is a hand coming out of a crown with an arrow through it. There are four cigarettes in the case, which alludes to to the fact he goes on to kill four of the family.
“I wasn’t in love with him. I know everyone thought I was, but I wasn’t. I loved him, of course. It was impossible not to love Felix, and that was part of the problem. And everyone loved him, everyone wanted to be around him. It exhausted him. People just wouldn’t leave him alone. Especially the girls. Christ, the girls. It was embarassing really how everyone fawned over him. I think honestly that’s why he liked me so much. I protected him. I was honest with him. I understood him. I loved him. I loved him. I…loved him. But was I in love with him?”
We see future parts of the film that are yet to come over this speech. The parts about love are reflected in the images, but when we get to the end, we are sucked back in along with Oliver’s intake of breath, further portraying this theme of consumption.
After the opening credits, we follow Oliver from behind as he walks through the gaggle of Oxford students all heading into their first day. As he moves through, we hear snippets of the different classes entering this world. One petulant student remarks that his “Daddy” forgot something of his. Further along, a man talks of sourcing his guitar from India. This is all a relatively obvious allusion to class differences at Oxford.
The film is set in 2006, so being faced with a Juicy Couture tracksuit is fitting.
At the first evening dinner, Oliver meets a fellow student called Michael Gavey. Gavey is a quirky student who makes no bones about sharing that with Oliver. Michael asks Oliver to ask him to do a sum, but as Oliver falters, Gavey loses his cool: “Fucking ask me a sum then!”
Next scene: A personal one to one with their teacher. Oliver says that he is from Prescott in Liverpool. Another student who is introduced as Farleigh Start comes late.
Farleigh and Oliver begin arguing about the latter’s essay and his language choices. This part makes an important point about sticklers for grammar who dismiss anything that would dare misuse a comma (particularly those self-important editors that we sometimes experience). Oliver dominates the conversation, leaving Farleigh feeling quite small.
Shots: A stuck vending machine, a crunchie bar, Farleigh crying to his tutor as Oliver nonchalantly reads behind him.
Felix on the road with his bike. Oliver offers his bike instead.
In the pub, Oliver ditches Michael for Felix and his gang. Oliver doesn’t have enough for the round so Felix saves the day and slides him a note.
Oliver is seemingly a bit smitten with Felix. He tells him that his parents have issues and his Dad is a dealer.
He sees Michael again who says that Felix will get bored of him and he’s a bootlicker.
Felix sleeps with a girl who says that nobody wants to sit next to Oliver because he buys his clothes from Oxfam. Oliver watches them have sex through the window while he smokes amongst the flowers.
Oliver tries to tidy Felix’s room talking about how rich people are the only ones who can afford to be filthy. Felix snaps and grabs the bin from him. He tells Oliver to go in polite terms. Oliver asks Felix if he’ll be at the pub that night and he says yes.
Felix never texts Oliver and he finds them at the pub without him. He ends up sleeping with a girl who has also been discarded by Felix, so they sleep together. When the girl asks if Felix will be jealous, Oliver coldly responds: “Honestly, I don’t even think it will fucking register,” which hurts her and she leaves.
We are given a shot of a sink and mirror covered in vomit.
Oliver goes to Felix and tells him that his Dad has died. There is a ball and Felix and Oliver end up by the river. Felix tells him about the tradition his family has where if someone dies, they write their name on a stone and throw it in the river. He gives Oliver one to throw for his Dad.
Oliver says he will never go home again and talks about the first time he felt the inside of his mother’s throat. He had to stick his fingers in to make her sick. Felix asks Oliver to stay at his family’s house. He says that if he gets sick of the family, he can leave. This transitions into a shot from the beginning speech with Oliver now saying: “And I believed him. Saltburn…”
Saltburn has black doors. A fly catcher hangs from a Chandelier, symbolising the Cattons tied up by an insect.
The Butler clearly doesn’t trust Oliver. Oliver can see this and takes note of it.
Red Room. Green Room. Blue Room.
Mother has a fear of facial hair.
Where is Liverpool? Talking of Oliver has from the slums.
Felix and Oliver return to the bedroom and Felix is adorned in sunlight while Oliver is in the dark corner.
Pamela talking to Oliver: He noticed how she is discarded by the family. He sees himself in the same position.
Venetia is smoking outside. Oliver comes out wrapped in a blanket. Full moon.
“I think I like you even more than last year’s one.”
Felix has lots of projects, takes pity on lots of people.
They talk of Percy Shelley’s doppleganger walking past a window as a seemingly double of Felix walks past the window behind Venetia. The story goes that two hours later he drowned.
Oliver makes another comment that riles Farleigh. Correcting him once again. He asks for over easy, but he can’t eat runny eggs.
We see Felix reading a book about Saltburn in the middle of a scene of him talking to Felix’s father as though this knowledge was true, again making Farleigh look smaller.
On the tennis court: A shot of Felix holding a bottle of Champagne for Oliver to drink who is beneath him and on his knees as though he is praying to some god.
Oliver flicks the silver balls in the maze structure around. There are FOUR pieces once again. Duncan comes in and says that plenty of people get lost, indicating that he shouldn’t be in that room.
Oliver watches Felix masturbate in the bath through a crack in the door. After Felix leaves, as the water goes down, Oliver drinks the semen-filled bath water and sucks through the drain.
“Fingers for pudding.”
Elspeth talking of how tired she was of Pamela talking about her trauma. Oliver plants a seed about Pamela potentially lying, and Elspeth completely agrees, now feeling relieved of her conscience.
Venetia sits under Oliver’s window in a see-through night dress. Oliver relays all of this. He tells her that the next day she will eat and stay at the table.
“I could just eat you.”
He is clearly pleasuring her. She tells him that she has her period, to which he says he is a vampire and sucks her blood off his thumb. He then spreads her blood in her mouth and on her chest. They kiss.
Farleigh has seen them through the window.
A shot of Oliver with a bloody mouth under the water.
Next day: Veneita is actually eating fruit covered in yoghurt. He slides a croissant to her and she does eat.
They talk of the Henry’s coming over and Elspeth discusses Oliver’s upcoming Birthday Party.
Felix has found out, but Oliver lies about it. They dress up for dinner. Venetia says Oliver is just another one of Felix’s toys and he doesn’t like to share them. Even the one’s he doesn’t want to play with anymore.
Karaoke scene. Low by Flo Rida (prime 2006).
Veneita and Felix are like Adam and Eve. They also feel incestuous.
Oliver confronts Farleigh. A sinister conversation and Oliver shows his callousness.
Farleigh gets Oliver singing a song that starts “I’m your puppet” which is a deliberate act. The lyrics become obvious to the rest of the room. Oliver says it’s Farleigh’s song too.
Oliver smashes a mirror. He pounces on Farleigh who is sleeping. He straddles him. “Are you going to behave from now on, Farleigh?”
Touching Farleigh. Spits in his hand carries on.
The mirror is suddenly fixed in the morning (by the butler?). Farleigh is thrown out of the house for taking from the family. The parents are cold and hide their feelings. Pamela died, which seems to affect Oliver.
Felix takes Oliver on a surprise trip to go and see his parents so he can sort things out. Oliver is very adamant that they should turn around. We see a very nice area, all very middle-class. Oliver’s mum called and Felix said she sounded sober and that she wondered where he was. Oliver wants to go in without Felix but he won’t let him.
Felix touches the “Gone fishin’” sign. Could this indicate what Oliver’s motives are? Oliver’s mother is a well put together woman who answers the door. She says that Oliver’s Dad is in the garden, so we know that Oliver lied. Felix soon discovers while talking with his parents that Oliver lied about being an only child.
We find out that Oliver was too clever at school and is the top scholar at Oxford. The lies have begun to unravel and Felix is quietly angry. We find out he is part of the rowing team.
Oliver jumps up to say he has a migraine and needs to leave. His father complains that his mother has spent all morning making lunch. Felix says they are staying and tells Oliver to take a pill.
Upon returning, Felix says that Oliver needs to leave after his party. He says Oliver is a liar. Oliver cries into his bed.
A shot of Oliver in front of the three part mirror. His back split into three.
At his party, Oliver has the antlers of a stag. Felix has golden wings, similar to Icarus. They are snorting cocaine. A hog roasting over the fire. Midsummer Night’s Dream. Farleigh is bottom.
Farleigh says that none of Saltburn is real. It will be a story Oliver will cling to and tell his kids. Farleigh says that while Oliver will leave, he will return because it is his house. During the singing of Happy Birthday, nobody can remember Oliver’s name.
Felix enters the maze and Oliver follow. Predator and Prey. Felix and the other girl are having sex beneath the Minotaur statue. Felix and Oliver argue. “Everyone puts on a show for Felix. I’m sorry if my performance wasn’t good enough.”
Felix: “I don’t know what you are, but I do know you make my fucking blood run cold.”
In the early hours, they are cleaning the house. We can hear people shouting for Felix in the distance. As Oliver goes to find out, we return to the future Oliver narrating.
As people run past him in desperation, and Venetia ans Farleigh search the river, he says:
“You don’t need to be told, do you? You already know. You’re just turning the handle on a Jack-in-the-box, walking towards the end of the world, knowing that any second, the ground was going to fall away.”
This happens as Elspeth enters the maze. A shot of the statue, and a piercing cry stops Oliver in his tracks.
“It was the end of everything.”
Venetia and Farleigh drag themselves out of the river and run to the scream as Oliver watches from high on the balcony. In the centre of the maze, in a cross formation, Felix is found dead on the floor.
His father wants to get him warm and talks to him like a baby. He can’t move him. Elspeth says he needs to come away as it’s nearly lunch. They are trying to be reserved. The only ones crying are Venetia and Farleigh.
At the table, nobody can eat. The police arrive and Elspeth talks about the party the night before. Duncan returns to ask if he can close the curtains as they need to pass by the window with Felix.
Venetia pours herself wine which overflows. The bang in the background is Duncan struggling to close the curtains, prompting James to snap at him.
In the dark red, we hear the sound of the coroner’s trolley. James plugs his ears with his fingers, and everyone else looks as if they might be sick at any moment. Veneita drinks her wine as it spills all over her clothes, but she doesn’t care in the slightest. Elspeth gags into her napkin. One of the butlers runs away to be sick. Farleigh leaves the table and says the lunch is cold and asks why is everyone acting like nothing is happening. Elspeth asks what else is there to do.
James: “FARLEIGHHHH! Will you be quiet? Sit down and eat the bloody pie! Just eat it! Eat it! And shut up! Eat the bloody pie! You’re not the only person here with feelings. None of us wants your bloody American feelings.”
Oliver: “I think it’s delicious.”
Farleigh asks what Oliver is still doing there. Oliver: “I wouldn’t throw stones if I was you, Farleigh.”
Venetia: “Please stop.”
Oliver tells everyone that Farleigh was doing lines when Felix died. James asks Duncan to search his room and chucks Farleigh out. He won’t go to the police but that is the last kindness he will receive.
The funeral sees Veneita, Elspeth, and James walking in front of Oliver who stalks behind.
It begins raining. The stone tradition occurs without Oliver who watches from the other side of the river. Duncan holds two umbrellas over the Cattons. Oliver goes to Felix’s grave and cries. He lies on top, takes off his shirt, and eventually unbuckles his belt. Completely naked, he pleasures himself on Felix’s grave.
Back at the house, they drink tea and talk of memories. Elspeth talks of how you don’t think about your child’s name will look carved on a headstone. What font…
Oliver: “What font did you choose?”
Venetia takes note of this and makes a quick laugh.
Venetia is later in the bath. Oliver comes in and she tells Oliver that she saw him sobbing in the church. She says she felt sorry for him, but then she remembered he had known Felix for six months and started laughing.
“You hardly knew him, Olly. You had nothing to do with him, with us, with here, nothing at all. You’re just a stranger. Yet here you are, right in the middle of it all. Stranger fucking danger. Do you know what Daddy started to call you? Spiderman. You’re always just skulking around, weaving your spidery, Olivery, web. Olly, don’t be upset. I don’t think you’re a spider. I think you’re a moth. I’m right, aren’t I? Quiet. Harmless. Drawn to shiny things. Batting up against the window. Just desperate to get in. Well, you’ve done it now. You’ve made your holes in everything. You’ll eat us from the inside out… Is that his aftershave? You’re a fucking freak! I bet you’re wearing his underwear too, aren’t you? You disgusting little nobody, oh my god! You ate him right up and you licked the fucking plate!”
Back to future Oliver narrating: “I broke her completely. She said it herself. She couldn’t live without him.”
A shot of Venetia dead in a bath of bloody water, submerged up to her nose. Oliver finds her. A quick shot back to the same rock throwing, but for Venitia. Complete silence.
James Catton tells Oliver that it’s time to go home, but Oliver refuses. He believes he needs to be there for Elspeth. James tries to pay Oliver off by writing a cheque.
Oliver leaves quietly, watched by all the staff.
We see shots of FO and a future Elspeth walking into a cafe. Oliver is also in said cafe. In a different scene, Oliver is reading the newspaper where he sees James Catton has passed away.
Elspeth and Oliver reunite in the cafe. She has gotten herself a flat. Elspeth apologises to him for the way James treated Oliver. He says that he hasn’t really been happy and neither has Elspeth. She invites him back to Saltburn to stay.
Back to FO: “I can honestly say that these last few months have been the happiest of my life. It’s just such a shame you got so ill.”
It is revealed that FO has been talking to Elspeth all this time who is on a ventilator. He blows smoke into her face.
“But it’s been a privilege to look after you, just as it will be a privilege to look after Saltburn. So thank you for trusting me.”
Shots of Oliver wheeling a sick Elspeth around the home. We see her signing some papers through the peeping eye of Oliver who looks through a crack in the door, showing that none of this was ever his home.
“I promise to look after this house just as Felix would have. We got there in the end, didn’t we? Somehow. Thank God. And after all those terrible, terrible accidents. But, is there ever such a thing as an accident, Elspeth? I don’t know. Accidents are for people like you, and for the rest of us, there is work. And unlike you, I actually know how to work.”
We see a sequence that reveals Oliver planned everything from the start. He stuck a pin in Felix’s tyre so he would be stuck.
He did have money in his wallet, but pretended he didn’t.
He texted Sotheby’s from Farleigh’s phone and set him up.
He wasn’t typing anything in the cafe, indicating he knew she would be there.
He repeats what he says at the beginning.
“I wasn’t in love with him, though everyone thought I was. But I wasn’t. I loved him. I loved him. I loved him, by god I loved him. But sometimes, I hated him. I hated him. Yeah, I hated him. I hated all of you, and you made it so easy. Sleeping dogs sleeping belly up. No natural predators.”
The bottle Oliver gave to Felix was spiked with drugs.
He placed the razors beside Venetia’s bath.
“Well, almost none.”
Oliver tears the breathing tube out of Elspeth’s throat and watches her suffocate. Quick shot to Elspeth’s funeral where Duncan looks on from ahead.
The final scenes. The house is empty except for Oliver. Murder on the Dancefloor plays. Oliver is naked and walks through all the rooms Felix toured him through at the beginning. He begins to dance, blowing a kiss to the pictures of the Cattons.
Oliver dances into the dining hall and on a table he dances around, there is one of the old puppet shows we saw earlier. He looks at it with delight, and resting on top are all four rocks. He moves Felix’s rock slightly and walks off frame as the credits roll.
Conclusion: Saltburn is one of my favourite films of last year. I wanted to touch on something briefly, and that is Oliver’s accent. I have gotten into so many arguments about the faltering accent being intentional. For some reason, people seem to think Barry’s real accent coming through was signs of poor acting, but that isn’t the case. Despite us meeting his parents, we don’t really know where he is from. He could have been adopted for all we know, especially when they talk about how “they said”. So much is left to subtext and the imagination with him. Those who cannot look deeper call this film “surface-level” and “wank”, but they are utterly foolish. There are references to certain paintings such as ‘Ophelia’ by John Everett Millais. This isn’t a film about rich v. poor, it is a film about obsession and the desire to consume. There are so many allusions to eating in this film, and a lot of people have totally missed the memo that you don’t need to be spoonfed in a film.
This was fantastic!!
I fully believe that Saltburn is a movie that you get out as much as you want to. In true Gothic Fashion, the surface looks shiny but if you scratch a little....there's a whole lot of rot under the surface.
I also feel that some people who had a strong visceral negative reaction might not hate it but might not recognise it made them DEEPLY uncomfortable.
I'm so late to this. I love this movie so much as well.
Great plot summary.
Just a comment on the accent, which you may already know by now, that he admits it was a bit tricky for him to master. Which I think we both agree still takes nothing away from his great acting. to do with acting skills, per se.