In this interloper story, Barry Keoghan plays Oliver, a new freshman at Oxford, struggling to fit in with the snobbish prep-school types. Then he meets Felix (Jacob Elordi), a tall, handsome, wealthy heir for whom life, girls, friends, and everything seems to come easy. Felix takes Oliver under his wing and winds up inviting him to spend the summer at the family estate, called Saltburn. Over the summer, Oliver nurses his crush on Felix and gets entwined in the family drama.
“Saltburn” is the second film from writer/director Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”). In it, she explores issues of class and acculturation. Oliver, from humbler circumstances, is surrounded by rich kids at Oxford. These kids went to fancy prep schools, where they didn't just learn math and English; they learned the right social manners and the right clothes to wear to fit in with each other. Oliver is outside of his class, and he finds it lonely, indeed. The question is, what is he willing to do to climb the ladder.
The movie is brilliant in many respects. The supporting cast, including Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant (“Withnail and I”), is superb. I'm not sure if I liked Barry Keoghan's performance or not. His flat affect and creepy stares are off-putting, but maybe that's just what the character demanded. I will say that there are a few gratuitously gross scenes that I could have done without. I still find myself thinking about the movie days later, however, so it is definitely a film that leaves an impression.
3.5 stars out of 5
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