2020 was a year many would like to forget. As COVID-19 ran rampant, affecting millions, many were locked down at home, looking for an escapism from the morbid daily news that flooded our timelines. The escape to the movies was in the past as theaters across the country shut down, and with films moving from 2020 to 2021, the year in cinema was bleak.
Out from the bleak darkness of 2020 film releases rose a directorial debut that stood out amongst the rest – Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. It is a film that took an overused sub-genre and created a movie that respectfully explored prominent social issues while keeping cinephiles enthralled and entertained. The film led Fennell to be nominated for Best Director and win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, ultimately catapulting Fennell into one being of the most exciting directors today.
With that excitement comes expectations of the quality of the Oscar winner’s follow-up film. Would this be slammed into the worst-of-the-year category similarly to The Son, or be hailed as a stunning follow-up? The answer should surprise no one, as Emerald Fennell has another astounding entry into the pantheon of great films.
Lavish, intoxicating, and audaciously provocative, Saltburn is a fearless work from Fennell. A wicked character study that delivers an uncompromising look at social class, eroticism, and youth. It’s an amusement park of sex, lies and seduction.
Saltburn follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) as he weaves through the wealthy elite of Oxford University in his journey to fit in. To do so, Oliver meets Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), and soon, a friendship blossoms, along with an invitation for Oliver to Felix’s estate, Saltburn, for a summer of wild escapades. As Oliver arrives at Saltburn, he is greeted by an array of characters, including Felix’s parents, sister, and a family friend. He soon begins a wicked game that becomes a cinematic feast to behold.
Emerald Fennell’s screenplay and direction remain as ambitious and exquisite as her debut, if not more impressive. Fennell continues to challenge cinephiles with shocking and thought-provoking choices that will indeed similarly cause an array of discourse as did the finale of Promising Young Woman.
As someone in the grind of college in 2006, Fennell’s sensibilities of the era were sublime. From the vibes of parties of the era to the chosen needle-drops, Saltburn is as 2006 as it gets, and that credit should be bestowed upon Fennell and not the inclusion of the most obnoxious song to any college student in the mid-2000s, T-Pain’s “Get Low.”
After receiving his first Academy Award nomination in 2022, Barry Keoghan returns with a powerful, tour de force, career-best performance. Keoghan unleashes a hypotonic take that takes cinephiles on a journey that will be jaw-dropping throughout. Blending Fennell’s witty screenplay and Keoghan’s dynamite performance, Oliver Quick quickly enters the conversation as one of the most engaging and exciting characters of 2023.
Even with a more minor role, Rosamund Pike is sensational as she exudes such a charismatic presence and offers up some of the funniest moments in the film. Along with Priscilla, Jacob Elordi’s stock continues to rise as one of the best and most talented actors.
In a similar fashion to Promising Young Woman, Saltburn is destined to become the most talked about film of the year. Whether your stance is ultimately negative or positive, a trip to Saltburn to be enraptured by the genius of Emerald Fennell is a trip I’ll gladly sign up for 100% of the time.
