The film “Saltburn” has rightfully captivated viewers and has been gaining rapid recognition since its Nov. 17 release. Audiences have been flocking to watch it after seeing TikTok trends to “Murder on the Dancefloor,” a catchy pop-song featured in the film, and hearing extensive discussions around the sex appeal of Jacob Elordi, who plays Felix Catton, the son of an elite family that owns the Saltburn estate.
However, the film is more than a blip in the endless stream of featured pop culture on social media. “Saltburn” stands on its own with aesthetic cinematography that intrigues viewers and furthers a well-developed plot to solidify the film’s place as a future cult classic.
The storytelling in “Saltburn” emulates elements of surprise depicted in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” It’s shocking, and to some viewers, gory. Much like “Pulp Fiction,” various scenes in “Saltburn” are not ornamental, but rather fundamental to furthering the message and tone of the film. Similarly, the main character Oliver Quick, played by Barry Keoghan, is an unreliable narrator that rivals Humbert Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” with his perverse, delusional and self-justifying traits.
The structure of the film eases the viewer into the intense progression of events by craftily presenting bits of information to the audience throughout its runtime. For example, the clips presented at the film’s beginning are strategically placed– revealing out of context moments that take place later. This gives the viewer subconscious images to recall, leading them to be a step ahead of the characters. This dramatic irony gives the audience insight to tie together plot twists before the ultimate reveal that drives home the scope of the ploy.
The visuals of the film were nothing short of breathtaking, both in beauty and its ability to evoke emotions like fear, which literally causes shortness of breath. The primary settings of Oxford University and the Saltburn Estate are presented with great attention to detail and design. They demonstrate how the concept of wealth was infused throughout the film and left a solidified impression of how opulence was a valued vice. Additionally, the details and design cannot be boiled down to just showing riches. The specifics of the estate can be overlooked, as even the butler in the film says, “Lots of people get lost in Saltburn.” While this line is figurative and literal, I feel that the filmmakers wanted to prevent the viewers from “getting lost in Saltburn.” The visuals explicitly direct the viewers’ attention to symbolism and foreshadowing by utilizing a music box that depicts four characters and the diorama of the Saltburn maze.
Above all else, lighting is a primary cinematography focus in “Saltburn.” In each scene, lighting is creatively and consciously curated. The variety of choices create contrast and connections to how the characters and audience perceive moments. The variety of shots include dimly lit scenes, saturated outdoor depictions and swaths of red light that paint intense tone shifts. The last example demonstrates how the film uses illuminant metamerism, or how different light can affect how color hues are perceived. For instance, in one scene, red curtains are pulled over a window. This causes a glass of red wine to appear black. As the red wine is poured into the glass, the glass overflows both onto the table and the body of the person who drinks from the cup, creating black marks. This shows how the descent of darkness onto the Cattons dismantles the pristine and proud familial structure.
“Saltburn” is a superb example of what thriller films should be– pieces of art that evoke the mind, employ the senses and engineer insanity for the audience.
