Here’s Why People Are So Divided About “Saltburn”

NJ: Lauren, you are one of my only friends on Letterboxd, which is how I know that I did not like Saltburn and you did.

LG: I have, like, four friends on Letterboxd.

NJ: I want to start with what your expectations were going into Saltburn. 

LG: I saw the movie before it came out in theaters, in a packed screening. I also didn’t know anything — I saw the trailer, but it didn't give me enough of an idea of what the movie was about. So, I didn’t really have any expectations for it or really understand what it was about based on the trailer. It just seemed very visually pleasing and like there was some tension, but at the same time, it didn't totally seem like a full-on thriller. It didn't seem like a big murderous story, which I mean, it was, but I was there for the vibes. I had very low expectations, which is why I was very excited by it by the end.

NJ: I think our different expectations are probably one of the key reasons why we feel opposed about this. I saw it when it was still a limited release in New York, and I was very excited to see it. What I thought I was getting into was a slow-burn, class-based thriller. I will say that for the first half of the movie, I had a great time. The way I feel about this movie is the meme of a horse being drawn beautifully, and then it disintegrates into a stick figure.

LG: I can see that. I've been seeing everyone's reactions, tweets, and criticisms. I did like the movie, but every time I see a criticism, I'm like, yeah, that makes sense.

NJ: What did you think of the performances?

LG: I thought the performances were good. I enjoyed them. I'm not sure they were Oscar-worthy, in my opinion. But, at the same time, I don't think this movie was Oscar-worthy. I enjoyed the movie for what it was — I don't think it was supposed to be a high-prestige movie. There's nothing wrong with that. I just loved the chaos and the vibes. I thought Rosamund Pike was very different from characters that I've seen her play before. And Carey Mulligan was so funny. You can totally tell they took their characters so seriously. I feel like Elspeth and Pamela could've been played kinda jokey, but they both were just so serious about who they were, which actually made their comedic moments even funnier to me. Even Barry Keoghan — I haven't seen a lot of his work, but I liked watching him transform over the course of the movie. And of course, Jacob Elordi just being Jacob Elordi. Those were the standouts, for me. 

NJ: I agree, I really liked the performances. I saw a TikTok the other day that pointed out the creepy Oxford guy is the same guy who plays Aemond Targaryen on House of the Dragon. Jump scare!

LG: One of my favorite aspects of the movie though was its costumes and aesthetic. It felt like a time capsule of 2006. I saw the discourse talking about how Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu's High School Musical hair supposedly helped inspire Felix and Farleigh's looks. And the Polos and the Uggs! I know it exists in this very specific time period, but at the same time, it feels timeless to me. Whereas you have movies that are set now and people are pulling out their iPhones and talking in this internet slang that feels like it's going to be so dated so fast.

NJ: I agree with that. This won't be clear in the written world, but I am English. At least in the beginning of the movie, I found the archetypical Oxford student that they present very funny. It was interesting seeing it with an American audience because things like everyone getting dressed up in their robes to throw shit at people after exams is a tradition I'm familiar with. Within this context. I was like, gosh, it does seem very strange, which it is.

NJ: Incidentally, one of the things I liked, regarding Carey Mulligan's character, is the commentary on addiction and substance use within the movie. I think it's very telling that someone like Oliver, who comes from a background of a poor mother riddled with addiction, is fetishized — versus the very clear addiction and mental health issues that exist within these rich circles.

LG: We don't realize he's making up the story about his family until three-quarters through the movie, but I wonder if that was, like, the first time Oliver had ever really come in contact with someone going through all these addictions and having these very real struggles. To him, it was just a story that he had heard of. And then it becomes the most uncomfortable lie in the movie.

NJ: I think because I enjoyed the snobbery and elitism of Oxford that it presented at the beginning of the movie, the second half of the movie fell flat. Ultimately, the way that the family is portrayed is a little too sympathetic. Not to say that they all deserved to be murdered. If I'm being ungenerous, the second half of the movie felt, to me, like an ultra-rich person's fears manifested onto screen. Oh, you let in someone who's not part of our class, and then they'll manipulate their way into our ranks. It felt like rich people fear-mongering.

LG: I read an interview with the film's director Emerald Fennell and she said that she had gone to Oxford. I wonder how much of the first half at Oxford was actually inspired by her real-life experience

NJ: I try not to read too much into Emerald Fennell’s life, but the fact that she comes from a very wealthy background is hard to ignore. I don't want to say that's why she made a movie that I think fundamentally bolsters elitism in a lot of ways, but it's something to consider.

LG: I think it's a fair argument, when someone is making a movie like this, to talk about it as a factor. But also, regarding Felix's family, I felt like they had a massive savior complex. It seemed like they wanted to be the "good" wealthy people by taking in lesser-class folks like Pamela and Ollie. So, I don't think they were exactly portrayed in the best light either. Ollie was obviously the villain but I liked how Felix's family were pretty morally gray, too.

NJ: I think the most headline-grabbing things that we’ve seen making the rounds are the bathtub scene, the grave-fucking scene, the vampire scene, and the nude dance scene. I wanted to see if you kind of had any thoughts towards them.

LG: Yeah, fair. I definitely thought they were gross and weird, but there was this sense of satisfaction for me watching them in a crowded movie theater that made it such a fun watch. Like people audibly gasping and being, like, "What the fuck?!" was just so funny. So, I felt like we were all going on this ride together. But at the same time, I don't think those were the most scandalous or wild scenes I've ever seen. There are those four scenes, but at the same time, I was just as uncomfortable with the runny egg scene. And when Felix met Oliver’s family after he lied. Those scenes were just as icky for me, but I kind of felt like that was the point.

NJ: In that vein, I know I’ve spoken quite negatively about the second half of the film, but I do think the scene where they have to eat lunch after Felix's body has been found is a good example of that.

LG: The karaoke scene!

NJ: I will say I did go into it knowing about the bathtub scene, because unfortunately, I am an entertainment journalist and the movie had already come out. The moment I got a bit eye-rolly was during the grave scene, because — and this is true with my opinions over the “big twist” at the end — it felt a bit try-hard, the way it lingered. 

NJ: A critique I had about Oliver by the end of the movie, given that he is this master manipulator, is that I didn't feel like I really understood enough about this character — beyond the fact that he’s unhinged. Ultimately, it's hard for me not to read that as shock for shock value’s sake. I thought a lot about the ending of Game of Thrones. I just find it boring, at the very least, that he's actually this criminal mastermind all along. I don't find that a very interesting motive. I think given how textured and rich the first half of the movie was, I think that's where a lot of my disappointment came in.

LG: Right. I got that he had very intense feelings for Felix, but I feel like there could have been more internal dialogue. Like, WHY is he doing this to Felix and his family? Maybe that would have given away the twist though...even though I saw the twist coming. But it wasn't exactly a "twist" to me, it just seemed like what was going to happen, so that's why it didn't really bother me as much. 

NJ: Ultimately, if I were to be a commenter finding flaws within my own critiques of Saltburn, I’d question whether we necessarily need to read every single piece of media within this wider cultural context. For me it was, it was hard not to go into Saltburn and think of real-life cases of elitism and my few encounters with very, very wealthy British people.

LG: I feel like it does have to do with each individual viewer. I'm just someone who likes to go into a movie and just see it for the story it is and then decide if it is something that has meaning or if it's a silly story with some fun dancing. And TBH, I think that's why I ended up really liking this movie. I totally hear the criticism, but I thought it was fun! And weird! I thought the cast made it really worthwhile because it seemed like they were having a great time in these roles, especially Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike. I can wholeheartedly say that going into it, I didn't really know much about what the movie was about, but I still had a great time watching.