Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick in Saltburn
When it comes to entertainment and culture, corporate media and many multi-million dollar studios try to make the general public envious of the rich and famous. We are told gossip stories about their marriages, divorces, feuds, affairs, scandals, and recent mansion purchases. We often watch movies that glorify this lifestyle and its pursuits. We are indoctrinated with the lie that wealthy elites have a more dynamic existence because they are inherently wealthy, and that their exploitation is some kind of illusion and should probably be resented. salt burn ” is the latest film that delves deeply into this theme. At first, the film seems like it wants to tell an interesting story about wealth, jealousy, sex, and misfortune. But the result is an unconvincing protagonist, adrift in a sea of bored, wealthy people cheating.
Written, directed and co-produced by Emerald Fennell. salt burn The film takes place in 2006 (for no particular reason) and focuses on a young man named Oliver Quick, who appears to be a scholarship student attending Oxford University. There are many students around him from wealthy families who look down on him. Oliver soon meets the popular, rich and handsome Felix and becomes infatuated with him. Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer with him and his eccentric family at a vast, shiny mansion called Saltburn. From there, shenanigans ensue as Oliver is thrust into a world of super-wealth and isolation, perhaps with his own ulterior motives at play.
Now, I say that Felix's family is eccentric because a lot of the trailers and marketing for this movie shows that you, the viewer, are in for a wild ride with wealthy people like yourself. Because it makes you believe that you are. I've never experienced it. But you've probably experienced them before too. Wealthy people, removed from everyday hardships, living in upscale surroundings, and possessing melodramatic and “funny” worldviews, are frequently used in many stories and are used as clichéd metaphors. Sometimes wealthy people are fictional characters. It can also be based on a monarchy that is forcibly imposed in popular culture. unfortunately, salt burn Nothing new has been added to this archetype and it feels pretty much the same. Not even the wonderfully talented Rosamund Pike, who plays Felix's mother, Lady Elspeth Catton, can save this aspect of the film. But she gives a subtle and convincing performance while trying to do so.
If the main character, the seemingly working-class Oliver, had been worthy enough to carry much of the story's focus and drive, this failure would not have been so noticeable. The characters are not. Rather, he feels like a mysterious presence who floats around the Catton family, changing his personality depending on the situation. His motives become more clear as the movie progresses, but given how they play the character's hand, there's not much of a mystery. It's not so much that Oliver needs to be likable, but audiences should feel a compelling connection to at least one of his characters in the film, especially the character's journey, which takes up the majority of the running time. .
where salt burn, there is an attempt to convey a message about wealth and depravity. The idea is that the Catton family, although wealthy, are troubled and should not be admired because they could be victims of manipulation or at least a series of unfortunate events. There is an argument that anyone, regardless of their background, is capable of doing dark things and that envy is dangerous. But who exactly is this message aimed at? Do working-class people need to be taught about the humanity of the wealthy? Is it worth watching the 2 hour 21 minute movie?
Outlandish sexual scenes are scattered throughout the movie. These wouldn't be such a problem if they had any purpose other than to distract the audience from the empty storytelling. Perhaps some of these scenes are meant to show the characters' darker sides, but equating unconventional sex kinks with moral depravity feels like a slippery slope. For many viewers, the sex scenes will be the first thing they think about and walk away after the credits roll. That's not because these scenes really stand out, but because they're probably the most exciting thing in the movie.
Here are some highlights to consider when watching salt burn, But. There are moments when the black humor really hits home. Most of these moments involve Rosamund Pike. She stands out in this movie, with Felix's sister Benicia Catton, played by Alison Oliver, coming in a close second. Venicia is a tragic and raw character, and she could make an interesting protagonist with a different world and a better script.
movie shooting salt burn is gorgeous and the landscape around the property gives off a haunting aesthetic of a dreamy 'Midsummer Night's Dream'. But when it comes to lands that take on a unique character that movies try to create, we've seen it done well in other films such as: spencer—This is also a movie about wealthy people living in an isolated world.
whole, salt burn is a movie that tries to say something profound and fails. If taken at face value, it passes as a creepy melodrama focused on rich people. But if that's the case, other movies are better worth the viewer's time and money.
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