How can Saltburn, my most anticipated movie of the year, be entirely mediocre? ðŸ˜Let me explain. 😞
Saltburn is a 2023 black comedy psychological thriller film written, directed, and produced by the talented Emerald Fennell. Fennell, acclaimed for her previous work Promising Young Woman, which earned her an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards and was my favorite of 2020. Given this, I had high expectations for her second feature film.
The movie premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival, receiving mostly positive reviews, particularly for its aesthetics, including cinematography, score, and costume design. Lead actors Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, and Rosamund Pike were praised for their performances. Visually, the film is stunning, thanks to Linus Sandgren, Damien Chazelle’s trusted cinematographer. However, emotionally, it’s a bit of a murky mess.
As Radheyan Simonpillai called it a “hollow Talented Mr. Ripley for the Euphoria generation, I couldn’t agree more, and I’m devastated.
The film is set in 2006 where a student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to use eccentric family’s sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten. Sounds gripping, right? But wait…it also sounds familiar.
Likewise, The Talented Mr. Ripley has an almost identical plot, which is where I began noticing flaws. The familiarity struck me; I’d seen this movie before. Moreover, there are elements reminiscent of The Great Gatsby scattered throughout the film. While imitation is considered flattery, and I should have been completely captivated, Saltburn didn’t quite grab my interest.
The film tries it’s damnest to scandalize you. “Kink for kink’s sake.” Be forewarned, you’ll never look at a bathtub drain again.” True, but also…don’t shock me for shock’s sake.
Furthermore, my main concern surprisingly lies with the title character, portrayed by the outstanding Barry Keoghan (known for Dunkirk, The Green Knight, The Banshees of Inisherin). It’s not about his acting; rather, it’s about what he had to work with—the script, the dialogue, his character’s intentions. Unlike Matt Damon’s character in The Talented Mr. Ripley, his character is meant to be multi-dimensional but falls short, ending up somewhat hollow. His motivation didn’t engage me, and when the anticipated “twists and turns” happened, I found myself indifferent. The humor didn’t land well for me, and the unfolding events left me more puzzled than satisfied.
“Combining social satire and psychological thriller, Saltburn holds your attention, but its contrivances grow increasingly grating as it scrambles to its supposedly astonishing climax.” via One Guys Opinion.
Don’t expect to be “shocked” and awed” the way you felt by Emerald Fennel’s Promising Young Woman, because you’ll be astounded that this script came from the same writer. Saltburn is neither smart nor shocking, and once the credits began to roll, I felt nothing for this vacuous movie that I hoped would be another banger from the impressive Emerald Fennel.
On the Screen Reviews 