2024 Entry #004 01-04-24 “Saltburn” is a 2023 black comedy psychological thriller film written, directed, and produced by Emerald Fennell (“Albert Nobbs”, “The Danish Girl”, “Vita & Virginia”, “Killing Eve”), starring Barry Keoghan (“Eternals”), Jacob Elordi (“Euphoria”), Rosamund Pike (“The Libertine”), Richard E. Grant (“Withnail and I”, “Warlock”, “Henry & June”, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, “Absolutely Fabulous”, “Bright Young Things”, Colour Me Kubrick”, “Doctor Who”, “Game of Thrones”, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, “Loki”), Paul Rhys (“Food of Love”), Carey Mulligan (“Doctor Who”, “Shame”, “Maestro”), Alison Oliver, and Archie Madekwe. Set in mid-2000s England, it focuses on a university student who becomes obsessed with a wealthy fellow student within his college, who invites him to spend the summer at his eccentric family’s estate.
I feared that this would be another update of “Brideshead Revisited” (which I’ve never really enjoyed), but instead this film is a clever cross between that pseudo-queer drama and the sinister gay anti-hero, “The Talented Mr. Ripley” – which makes this film much more entertaining than I was expecting! It’s dark and it’s probably not every queer film fan’s cup of tea, but it’s also hilarious, sexy, outrageous and fun. I laughed and I cried, but I laughed out loud a lot.
“Saltburn” is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.