Emerald Fennell brought a unique and utterly addicting movie to theaters in 2023 with her film ‘Saltburn.’
The film takes viewers on a progressing story throughout the two hours and 18 minutes. The story begins in the University of Oxford, as we see Oliver Quick try to find his place within upper-class society and in the end stick out, until a coincidental meeting with Felix Catton, a rich and popular student at the school.
While in Oxford, the movie touches on the differences between upper-class and middle-class societies, it also touches on Oliver’s relationship with his parents and substance abuse.
The story then moves from Oxford to Saltburn, the home of Felix and his family. Throughout the summer, Oliver makes Saltburn his home and forms a close friendship with the Catton family.
The film portrays themes of desire, obsession and intense passion throughout the friendship between Oliver and Felix, along with the portrayal of Oliver making himself a home at Saltburn with the Catton family. Fennell portrays Oliver having these moments of watching the Catton family, and being this ever present figure in the house as he wishes to have what they are able to experience in upper class society.
Fennell has a skill in the way she uses setting and characters to showcase these major themes. By using the setting, she is able to showcase the themes in a slow boil over the course of the summer spent at Saltburn that left me hooked as a watcher seeing how the growth of Oliver’s obsession was built up.
Fennell is able to present Oliver as a sort of puppet master through the time spent at Saltburn as the water began to boil more and more throughout the film until the themes boiled over, and the watcher understood Oliver’s character and his growth at the end of the movie.
“I drew from my own experience of being a human person, who has felt that thing we all feel at that time in our life which is that absolute insane grip of obsessive love,” Director Emerald Fennell said to ABC News (Australia).
While Fennell drew from her own experiences, she also pulled themes and ideas from many other influences such as “A Clockwork Orange” (1971), “Cruel Intentions” (1999) and many more.
The film presents the watcher with an addicting and compelling story up until the very end. Throughout the film, there are a variety of questions that leave the watcher wondering what is going to happen at the end? Or, how is this going to work itself out?
While the film blew up on social media for cast members like Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, the movie extends beyond the realm of the cast, as it showcases a tale that is unique and has not been seen before.
The film is well-crafted through the cinematography showing the changes from the long, summer days spent in the sun, to the drunken and messy dinners that help the watcher visualize the build up to the climax of the film.
‘Saltburn’ is one of the films that the Keene State College Film Society will be showing this semester in the Putnam Theater from Mar. 8 through Mar. 11.
Amanda Rotigliano can be contacted at
arotigliano@kscequinox.com
