Film Review: Saltburn – Emerald Fennell’s second outing certainly leaves an impression on you

Hello readers,

Last night I saw Saltburn, the sophomore film directed by Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) who has also been seen lately in the Barbie film as Midge, the pregnant doll.

Saltburn has had a lot of buzz from its debut at TFF in Colorado, US before making its European premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and a final appearance at SXSW Sydney. It has now been released worldwide in cinemas. This is unusual for a film that starts its life in the festival circuit but with such a star-studded cast and the company LuckyChap Entertainment behind it (Margot Robbie and husband Tom’s venture), there was no doubt that this film would not put bums on seats.

I had heard of most of the main cast for various other films: veterans of the industry Richard E. Grant and Rosamund Pike have graced British screens many a time; Aussie favourite Jacob Elordi has been making a splash in Euphoria and recent release, Priscilla; I saw Archie Madekwe’s big break in Gran Turismo earlier this year and Irish actors Alison Oliver and Barry Keoghan have been featured on both the small and big screens, respectively.

I will be discussing the ending so spoiler warning if you have not yet had the chance to see the film.

Saltburn (2023)

The films opens on a famous Oxford landmark, the Radcliffe Camera. Having studied at Oxford Brookes University, the streets of the city are always a welcome site on the big screen. In the frenzy of the first day at school, we are introduced to Oliver Quick (Keoghan), a shy bespectacled student from Merseyside who has a habit of watching from afar rather than joining in. Through the first term, we see Felix Catton and Farley Start (Elordi and Madekwe), cousins and in the popular group at the college. Farley has a tutorial with Oliver and becomes the teacher’s favourite after revealing the name of his mother.

While Oliver only has a fellow outsider, Michael, for company, he appears longing to be in Felix’s orbit. A chance meeting and lending of a bicycle cement the start of a friendship. The two become gradually closer as Oliver reveals his troubled home life and addict parents. Farley does not warm to Oliver as he reminds him of himself – an outsider. Farley is living with his family due to his mother not having enough to support them both.

When the year ends and Oliver has told Felix about his father passing away, Oliver is invited to the Catton family home for the summer: Saltburn. The house or mansion is a fictional estate based in Northamptonshire. With its sprawling gardens, labyrinthian maze, wild swimming pond and endless rooms, Saltburn is the perfect escape for Oliver.

Elspeth and James Catton (Pike and Grant) are the welcoming parents if a little cattish, gossiping about Oliver’s family situation and “Poor Dear” Pamela, a family friend staying with them played by Carey Mulligan. Pamela is almost the Oliver of Saltburn, the person that has fallen on hard times that they feel sorry for and are only friends with out of pity.

Oliver also meets Venetia Catton, Felix’ sister (Alison Oliver). Initially disinterested, he finds her hanging around outside his bedroom window at night and tries to control her with sex. This is when the audience begins to realise that Oliver is not the poor, innocent, vulnerable person he appears to portray.

While the summer is whiled away with reading the last Harry Potter book, the film is set in 2006/2007; the family and Farley begin to discover the cracks in Oliver’s persona. Elsbeth cares for him as another son but Felix starts to find him clingy.

A lavish party is planned for Oliver’s birthday towards the end of summer and after a surprise road trip to his hometown of Prescot, Oliver is forced to face the reality that his parents are actually middle-class and normal. This drives a wedge between Oliver and Felix that culminates in an argument at the centre of the maze during the party.

In the morning when Felix is found dead, presumably of a drug overdose, the family grieves. They try and eat breakfast as if nothing has ever happened while drawing the curtains to block out the coroner going past and into the maze. While Venetia and Farley can barely hold in their tears, Oliver makes conversation with James and Elspeth. Farley is also banished for good after an email is discovered from him trying to sell off one of the family’s antiques to cover his mother’s expenses.

Oliver stays for Felix’ funeral and is the only non-family member present when they carry out their tradition of writing the deceased’s name on a stone and throwing it into a river. Venetia struggles with her brother’s death and after a conversation with Oliver she is found dead in the bath, having killed herself.

James finally realises that his wife will now not let Oliver out of her clutches as the only pseudo child left. He pays him to leave them alone in their grief.

Jump forward to Covid times, presumably 2021, Oliver meets Elspeth in a London cafĂ©. She has just moved to the area after her husband’s death. They share in their grief for the Catton family and when Elspeth falls ill, Oliver becomes her caretaker, wheeling her around Saltburn.

While she lies hooked up to a ventilator and barely conscious, Oliver finally reveals his grand plan. He orchestrated the friendship with Felix and got an invite to Saltburn. He put cocaine in Felix’s champagne, causing his death; gave razor blades to Venetia when she was at her rock bottom and then proceeds to take Elspeth off the machine keeping her alive.

While Elspeth was able to consent, he got written into her will and the last scene shows Oliver dancing through Saltburn, naked having managed to inherit the sprawling estate and family fortune. We see each of the four family member’s stones perched on top of a puppet toy depicting them.

The film had a lot to say about class and wealth. While the Catton’s don’t pretend to be less than they are, they open their home and hearts to practical strangers on whom they take pity. Their trust in Oliver and underestimation of him, is what leads to their downfall. At Oxford, Felix joins in with his friends making fun of Oliver but is quick to fold him into the group when he thinks he would make a good sidekick and doesn’t see him as a threat.

Farley is the first one who suspects Oliver and tries to distance himself and Felix from him but after being threatened by Oliver, he realises that he is not going to be able to beat him.

Personally, I did not see this twist coming and thought that Oliver would end up being the victim of the rich people as is the typical trope in thriller’s set in the world of the wealthy (for example, Ready or Not starring Samara Weaving). While Oliver is a villain for killing three, possibly four people, he represents the average person who is desperate to be part of the in crowd. He had ulterior motives but I think he also wanted to be accepted by Felix and the Cattons’ to prove that he is worthy of being in that world.

I thought that all the performances were brilliant particularly Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan. Without knowing Elordi was Australian, I would have thought that he was a typical British posh boy as he nailed the accent, dialect and mannerisms. Keoghan really showed Oliver’s emotions as clearly as reading a book and I sympathised with him when he longed to be in the cool kids gang. Being friends with the Cattons’ despite their strange habits, traditions and pity of him was better than not being friends with them. Oliver did some pretty odd things that gave clues to him being unhinged and Keoghan made them look very real.

I also thought Alison Oliver as Venetia was great and for someone who only started in the industry last year, I think there are big things to come for her. The scenes of just her and Oliver and after Felix’ death showed her ability to be vulnerable without being a total emotional mess.

Overall, I enjoyed the film despite the last act going in an odd direction. It was weird in a way that you can’t look away and have a desire to know how the story ends. The innocent scenes of 2000s Oxford leading into the heady summer at Saltburn gave the film an ethereal setting that you would certainly want to visit unless Oliver Quick is lurking in the shadows or underneath your window.

I give the film 4/5.

Happy Watching,

Robyn

Summer of Cinema: Old

Dear Readers,

I went into this film with not much prior knowledge apart from knowing the director, one actor and the fact that it was set on a tropical island. This was the best way to do it for me personally as watching the trailer afterwards gave away a lot of key details. The screen was pretty busy and I had a good aisle seat. This film eases you in with marriage problems and a family on holiday but after going to the beach, everything falls apart and the story begins to mess with your perception of reality. I have only seen one M. Night Shyamalan film before and it was a long time ago. I knew his films usually had a thriller/horror element and were known for being mind-bending. The screen was semi-packed which gave me confidence in the film, especially as it had already been out for three weeks.

The film title and poster do not give much away other than the ageing element. When I went in I wondered how this would play into things, I imagined the characters being shipwrecked on the island and steadily growing old as we do normally. What did happen was very unexpected. It is hard to talk much about this film without giving away the big idea so I will be talking about the concept of the film and certain plot details.

The film focuses around a family with two young children. They are on holiday from the US but both parents are European from their accents. The trip is one least hurrah before they tell the kids they are divorcing and that the mother has an illness. They check in and are greeted with specially designed cocktails and charming staff. The hotel looks very luxurious and everything seems picture perfect. We meet a few other characters: families on holiday, all Americans so we can assume the Caribbean or somewhere off the US Coast. Nothing big happens until a guest has a seizure and everyone rushes to help. Trent, the youngest of our main family makes friends with another boy his age, Idlib whose uncle runs the resort.

The next day, the manager tells the family of an exclusive beach that is only available to his favourite guests. They are guided to a minibus where the family from the dining hall before have also boarded. They are taken to the beach by a familiar face (M. Night Shyamalan) and told to call if they want to be picked up or the bus will come at 5pm. The group walk through the rocks, armed with deck chairs and heavy picnic baskets and appear on a picturesque, quiet beach. They settle in but notice another man sitting on the sand in the distance.

Things begin to get unnerving when Trent finds a dead body in a shallow rock pool. The man tells the group he was with her and they connected because they both have conditions. While trying to sort out the body, another couple arrive, the woman who had the seizure and her husband. Someone tries to go back through the rocks but ends up blacked-out on the beach. They are trapped.

With all this going on, the parents initially miss their kids ageing up 5 years. The two 6 years, one from each family and Trent’s sister, Maddox who is 11 are all now biologically older. Then the mother of the doctor dies then her dog. Things keep getting weirder and weirder until they work out that they are ageing roughly a year every half an hour. The conditions and illnesses become more prevalent and create problems for the holidaymakers.

I will not give away the ending but it was not one you would expect and had a more logical yet disturbing explanation. There is also a happy ending for some characters so it is not totally doom and gloom.

I liked this film as it had a good concept that was not completely obvious but once it hits, there is little time to find a solution. The characters all had complexities but were easy enough to follow as the concept was enough to hold it together. I also think the casting was great for Trent and Maddox at different ages, especially Trent. I truly believed they were the same person. I related to the characters because I could not see a way out of the situation and any time spent on the problem was wasted periods of their lives.

The diversity was good, it is rare to have two European characters in such prominent roles. There were a few moments that were amped up for shock factor particularly how Crystal and her husband met their ends. Overall, an enjoyable film that makes you cherish the time you have rather than spending that time worrying or not making that change before it’s too late.

I give this film 5/5.

Happy Watching,

Robyn

A Star is Born / A Simple Favour

Hello readers,

I know another post so soon is not characteristic for me but yesterday I saw ‘A Star is Born’ and it really moved me so I couldn’t not write about it. I will also give my thoughts on ‘A Simple Favour’ another great film that I saw last week.

A Star is Born

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born (2018)

This film was one of the few films that has affected me in such a physical way. I have been known to cry at many films but this one elicited a different reaction. It’s beautiful story and combined with the original sounds and brilliant performances by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born moved me. I felt strongly for the characters and their pain which stayed with me for several hours. It was as if the events had happened to me and not just on the screen.

As this film is the fifth version of this tale, you may think there was nothing left to do with the story but this film proved that this simply isn’t the case. Lady Gaga plays Ally, a waitress who sings in drag club. She isn’t pursuing a career successfully due to music industry executives telling her she has the right voice but the wrong face. When famous rock country singer Jackson Maine (Cooper) stumbles across her performing, he immediately recognises her talent. She is invited to sing on stage with him and they perform her original song. She quickly becomes successful while Jackson is struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction and tinnitus.

All the songs were written especially for the film and always express the character’s feelings at that point within the film. My personal favourite is Shallow which is the first song Jackson and Ally sing together.

There has been a lot of buzz around this film and for good reason. Even though this is Lady Gaga’s first film, I will be disappointed if she doesn’t receive award nominations. I give A Star is Born 5/5.

Cast:

Lady Gaga (American Horror Story) as Ally

Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) as Jackson Maine

Sam Elliott (Road House) as Bobby, Jackson’s manager/brother

Andrew Dice Clay (The Adventures of Ford Fairlane) as Lorenzo, Ally’s father

Rafi Gavron (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) as Rez, Ally’s manager

Anthony Ramos (Younger) as Ramon, Ally’s co-worker and friend

A Simple Favour

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in A Simple Favor (2018)

A Simple Favour really surprised me with it’s plot. The trailer gave me some ideas as to what the film would entail but I was truly surprised. The film follows mummy vlogger Stephanie played by Anna Kendrick becoming friends with Emily, a fellow mum at her son’s school. They drink martinis together and tell secrets. Emily is a very mysterious person and never reveals anything about her past. She also disappears for a while with no explanation. Even her husband Sean and son Nicky don’t know her secrets. She is always impeccably dressed in suits and works in the city as a PR manager.

After Emily goes missing, Stephanie tries to find her. I don’t want to say much more as it would spoil the film but what happened next was shocking and unexpected.

Anna Kendrick was amazing as always and excelled in a darker role. Her humorous tone and attitude really worked well with her character. Blake Lively was also very different and surprised me with her performance. Her whole body changed into her character, every movement or look was carefully executed. Her outfits and the decor of Emily and Sean’s house added to the rich glamour of their world.

I give A Simple Favour 5/5.

Cast

Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) as Stephanie

Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) as Emily

Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) as Sean

Ian Ho (Willa) as Nicky

Joshua Satine (Godless) as Miles, Stephanie’s son

Other films I have seen recently that I would recommend are Faces Places (2018), Fight Club (1999) and Superbad (2007).

Happy Watching,

Robyn 🙂

My Weekly Recommendations 27th November

Hello readers,

I know it is Monday but I went home from university this weekend so I was extra busy with my parents so apologies for the late post. I will be doing some different posts soon but for now here is another rendition of what I have been watching this (last) week.

Cinema:

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

This film charts a story of two men meeting in 1980s Italy, they initially dislike one another but then they migrate to lovers. Sounds simple, which the plot is, yet it is 100% effective. The beautiful scenery of a hot Italian summer, the French language combined with Italian and English, the sensual soundtrack and costumes all come together to create a romantic love story that also explores being gay in the 80s and lusting after someone older then having to lose them. The main character Elio (TimothĂ©e Chalamet), a 17 year old who is a gifted musician at first dislikes the loud all American student that comes to stay for the summer, played by Armie Hammer. He gradually realises his feelings for Oliver(Hammer) are not hate but love. Chalamet’s performance is stand out, his emotions are always written all over his body unless he is trying to hide them. He looks French, his parents holiday in Italy but is American. His accent and piano playing are also spot on. Hammer is also great in his role, knowing when to be forward and play hard to get. Also starring are Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man) as Elio’s father, a professor of archaeology who invites Oliver to be his student; Amira Casar (Versailles) as Elio’s mother; Esther Garrel (17 Girls) as Marzia, Elio’s girlfriend who he gradually drifts away from as he becomes closer to Oliver and Victoire Du Bois (From the Land of the Moon) as Chiara, a girl who dances with Oliver and proceeds to lust after him.

A gorgeous film that made me smile and empathise with Elio even though I am not a boy in 1980s Italy. Chalamet made you feel Elio’s jealousy, fear, excitement, sadness, happiness and boredom. He truly brought Elio alive. Overall I give Call Me By Your Name 5/5.

DVD

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

This charming little rom com set in New York City starring Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality) is definitely a feel good movie if you need to be reminded what it is like to love and not be loved back. Sandra Bullock plays Lucy, a lawyer who uses her Harvard education to fight against social injustice. She is offered at random a position as lawyer by George Wade (Grant) who is the face of Wade Corporation, a development company trying to knock down every old building in the Big Apple for their own gain. Lucy, who regularly protests against George’s company accepts the job deciding she can do some good from the inside. She excels at her job and becomes the one George turns to for everything, what outfits to wear to his divorce settlement. Lucy decides he is too demanding and quits for her own health. During her two weeks notice, whilst seeing her replacement, June cosy up to George, Lucy starts to feel one emotion for George she never thought she would: love. She continues to be professional and not let her rare feelings get in the way of quitting. A classic Hugh Grant film in which his character has some shocking similarities to Donald Trump pre 2016 who incidentally turns up for a surprise cameo during a benefit. I liked this film, definitely one to watch if you love Hugh Grant in Love Actually or Sandra Bullock in The Proposal. Also starring are Alicia Witt (88 Minutes) as June Carver, Lucy’s replacement; Dana Ivey (The Adams Family) as Lucy’s tough talking mother; Robert Klein (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) as Lucy’s dad; Heather Burns (You’ve Got Mail) as Meryl, Lucy’s friend and David Haig (My Boy Jack) as Howard, George’s business partner and brother. Overall I give this film 4/5.

Amazon Prime

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

C.I.A agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill, Superman) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer, The Lone Ranger) a KGB operative are forced to work together to reach a common goal in the 1960s when the tension between Russia and the US is at a high point. Both agents have no choice but to work for the mysterious organisation. The film starts with an epic car chase through the streets of Berlin, where Solo and Kuryakin fight each other but are then forced to be a team. They meet Gaby (Alicia Vikander) a car mechanic who’s uncle has connections to the Vinciguerra family. Victoria Vinciguerra (Elizabeth Debicki) is building a nuclear bomb and Solo, Kuryakin and Gaby must work together to stop their common enemy from destroying the world as they know it. This film is cheesy and a parody to movies of the time, adapted from a television series of the same name but ultimately a good watch. The blossoming romance between Vikander and Hammer who pose as a couple to be wed gives the film a softer edge. There is also violence but it is more comic and entertaining than gruesome. Hugh Grant also appears as a British agent bringing in reinforcements for the final mission. The dynamic between Cavill and Hammer also gives some classic masculinity that Guy Richie, the director is famous for. Also starring are Luca Calvani (When in Rome) as Alexander Vinciguerra, Victoria’s husband and Sylvester Groth (Inglorious Basterds) as Gaby’s Uncle Rudi. Overall I give The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 4/5.

Hope you enjoy my 3 picks this week, other honourable mentions include Sleeping with Other People (2015) and What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012).

Happy Watching,

Robyn