People Get Lost At Saltburn: A Video Essay 

I can't stress enough is that he is not lower class. He is solidly middle

Farleigh is such a Regina George. Turns out he was right about Oliver but - he’s vicious too

"He tries to daddy dom her out of an eating disorder" HAHAHA these were my exact thoughts during that scene!! But then later she doesn't follow his rules and we see this but nothing comes from it.

My take was he idolised him. A fine line between love and hate, jealousy is a strange thing.

I find it very misogynistic the way so many people are completely missing the film's depth - Emerald Fennell clearly meticulously planned and carried out a complex vision with layers that need dissecting to fully appreciate that still make for an incredibly entertaining film without understanding... if the mastermind behind it was a man instead people would assume depth even if it wasn't intended.

I just watched this movie last night and decided it fell flat for me because I thought that if Oliver was planning on eliminating everyone from the beginning and absorbing their estate, then his love for Felix is null and void. But when you mentioned that perhaps his plan from the beginning was to plant himself into Felix's life and that it only ended up the way it did because of Oliver's experiences at Saltburn and how everything kind of spiraled out of control, actually made me like this movie more because that was the only thing I didn't really understand. Thank you for making this :)

your interpretation of the minotaur symbolism (felix being the minotaur and ollie being theseus) is actually so insightful! i've only ever seen people compare oliver the minotaur but i've only just realised that it sort of works both ways

Felix deliberately left a crack in Oliver’s bedroom door, so he would be seen. He can’t get enough of being seen by the underclass. It’s what makes him feel cool.

Actually, out of all the character, domination through sex might be the only way to get to the cousin because in a previous scene it was already established that he was kicked out of a bunch of schools for seducing teachers. Assuming that he was an adult and not an underaged groomed teenager when that happens, then Ollie knew already that sex was a big part with the guy that he could use. And if the cousin was underaged when that happened, and it happened multiples times in fact, with multiple teachers, then he having no reaction to Ollie's actions and just staying there to take it have a much, much, much darker implication.

I can't believe it got shut out of the awards shows.

I love the unique faces in this film

This is what some Americans don't get... I'm American but have lived in England for 25 years in and off. My eldest is a masters candidate at Cambridge. The house Olly grew up in is not the story he told. His class is distinctly upper middle or middle class, which is very different from American middle class. He wasn't poor. His house is in par with one Kate Middleton grew up in and is worth probably close to 1mill. Pounds. He came from solidly educated parents. My eldest attended probate boatding school,and was told by a teacher( who was an honourable from Wedgwood and a descendant of Darwin) that certain things make you middle class. If one parent had private education (I did). One parent has a university degree (I did) and oddly how or where do you keep the butter. My eldest answered the butter dish (I'm southern and traditionally that's where butter goes) this apparently elevated her to middle or upper middle class. The discrepancy with classes here is that it pits the aristocracy against middle class to make them feel more normal. Benevolent. The lower classes are representative of serfs tied to a feudal land and by the servants. Who don't like the middle class Oliver, but are loyal to the aristocracy and not just with money. You can see their disdain when the butler kicks him out, the lunch scene. Just an alternative opinion. Brilliant film. Really good. Talented mr ripley may give it better context because it's so straight forward, but this is one of the best things I've seen in years.

I love the comparisons to Greek mythology in your video. What interests me are the people that own the mansion they shot at and why they'd let this movie get made there when it seems like a very strong indictment of the way they live 🤔

I don’t know if this is a reach but the butler always reminded me of the major motif in the Great gatsby - the advert sign with the giant spectacles and eyes being like god watching everything. I kinda saw the butler as the same type of figure, all seeing but powerless to intervene. Idk why I just kept going back to that imagine when he was onscreen!

Incredibly well prepared video essay. I especially liked the comparison with the Greek mythology.

Felix makes me wonder if he could have become a better person if he'd lived. Not such a "fair-weather empathy" kid. I think he had potential for that because he was young, even if the odds were stacked against him because of his privilege, looks, being sheltered, etc. But on the other hand, lots of 20-somethings suck at morality and evolve. I was friends with a few pathological liars as a young person so I definitely felt for Felix there. None of my old friends held a candle to Oliver and became fairly functional adults, I think, thankfully!

6:59 I haven't finished watching the video yet, but I wouldn't exaaaaactly call Farleigh a charity case. Sir James is his uncle via his mother therefore if the movie was legally accurate (aka didn't have a plot whole), Elspeth wouldn't be able to will the home to Oliver so easily. Saltburn would be Farleigh's or his mother's (as well as the title). Even if they both died, there'd have to be a distant relative somewhere, the media (probably seeing as his death was widely publicized in the papers), and a ton of lawyers to protest such a thing. Farleigh is virtually as blue blooded as Felix (not sure about Elspeth's background though. Maybe she comes from a rich, famous, and/or aristocratic family? Nonetheless, he's still at least half and his bloodline runs deep hence the home and paintings in The King's Room). The only difference is that Sir James's parents give him (probably) most or all of the inheritance, causing Farleigh's fully aristocratic mother (his sister) to rely on him. In addition to this, Sir James has essentially taken his nephew in as his "kind of step-son not really but kind of" since he was a younger teenager (he has a pretty unaffected American accent soo.. I'm a bit iffy about this one. I feel like if he stayed there for as long as he probably did his accent would be at least slightly less American - also, he's still a teenager (about 19) in the film, I believe?) and Felix is basically an older brother to him. He's a dependent, yeah, but so is Felix as his son. Edit: Wow, I didn't mean for my comment to be that long - anyways, don't get me wrong, he definitely was a bit of an outcast among the family (especially with the begging *for his mom* and a couple of other things) but your phrasing kind of made it sound like he isn't the 5th (after Elspeth, Felix, Venetia, and his mother I think) heir to millions, a huge house that resembles a castle, tons of servants, and an aristocratic title.

I thoroughly enjoyed your take on this outrageously fun movie … I thought it was a total hoot!! I do so love movies full of so much detail that it’s quite a different experience watching it the second time, which I did the second it finished the first time, ´cause a bit like Ollie, I literally did not want to leave this world behind!!! Besides, can we ever get enough of Barry Keoghan??? Wow he is sooooo goooood!!!

The sister got it right when she said olis a moth. I saw Felix as innocent ignorant and kind (esp how he was w olis parents). I always wondered why the butler allows olí to do what he does… I thought maybe they were in cahoots but it’s never explored. He’s always watching but does nothing? I thought maybe the butler loved the dad like olí loved/craved Felix and that’s why he stuck around. Why didn’t olí take down the dad? He was weak minded like the rest of em. The grave scene was harder to watch than the bathtub scene for me, that poor drain got rimmed without giving permission! 😂 LOVED the aesthetic. Loved.

This was fun I enjoyed it! Nice work 🌸

💯 *Absolutely perfectly comprehensive review. Answered all my questions and uncertainties where others didnt. Thank you!*

lovely video and a fun review

Provocative, I loved it! Rosamund Pike deserved an Oscar nomination.

I think the most clear parallel is that Ollie represents Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a horned trickster fairy who plays with the relationships of others causing them to fall in and out of love. It fits with the rest of the characters and their outfit choices, Elspeth is the fairy queen, Felix the handsome protagonist (he clearly fits more neatly into a tragedy, though realistically, he's from romeo and juliet and in the wrong play), Farly the fool that gets given the head of an ass, Venezia the tragic heroine. The cast fit more solidly and smoothly into the roles of a shakespearean play than greek mythology, this is made more clear and fun with the use of a Midsummer Night's Dream specifically. A comedy without tragic ending set in ancient greece. They don't expect tragedy, it doesn't happen to them. So when Ollie plays his part too well they don't see it coming. They're all blind to what play they're in, but Ollie sees what's happening and pushes the events, like in the play it's the trickster fairy that controls everything and not the heroes, heroines or kings.

Would you welcome a sequel to Saltburn with Oliver in Saltburn inviting people back there to stay with him? would be interesting i think.

The characters are very well written and acted. Venetia and Felix were especially good characters, which remind me of people i've met in real life who were from a land-owning family (I don't mean that they owned a house and garden, I mean that they owned a LOT of land). Venetia's mannerisms and dialogue are very nostalgic of a certain type of 2000's UK posh girl. Felix is an interesting character. Although he is an obvious choice for one to direct their envy towards, being rich, handsome, popular and well-connected in a very convincing sense, he is in reality a fairly nice, if not stuck-up and spoilt guy. He's the type of person that you almost wish was a complete idiot, so that you could write him off as a spoilt brat, but when he shows some redeemable features, it makes life seem even more unfair. I think that it makes Oliver's actions towards him towards the end more impactful; Felix was actually a victim and didn't really deserve his fate. I've been lucky to make friends with people from all different sections of UK society, from people escaping the most crime-ridden estates in the country to people who studied at Oxford and similar places. It taught me to be grateful for what you have and that there are good and bad people at every level of society. Perhaps the lesson that Saltburn teaches is that it's not necessarily those born at the bottom or the top who are the dangerous ones, but the ones who are willing to do anything and hurt anyone to move up the hierarchy. On another note, this film strangely makes me think of Ghislaine Maxwell and her weaving her way into the Royal Family - anybody else?

Really solid essay! Could you do 'Promising Young Woman' as well? Love Emerald Fennell.

Is it weird to say I liked Oliver’s character because he’s like the most toxic version of masking. It’s not canon but I feel like he’s autistic. Not because he’s weird. Just the story of him not being able to make friends naturally leads to him reading people well and saying what they want. He’s just so insecure

Omg! I love your blouse my I ask where did you get it from ?

A world beyond my comprehension. Another interesting review. Thank you. What happened to the staff by the end. I would imagine that some would have the ear of the family and would pounce on him like white blood cells.

Great insights! When I think about the comparison of Oli to a moth, I am reminded of how moths eat away at clothing which remains unused and hung up in closets. It matches the messy decadence of Saltburn, as you pointed out in the way of littered cigarettes and the flypaper-adorned chandelier. And only after the whole family has been eaten away, Oli flutters about the empty estate, naked and batting against the shiny ornaments. Also, Oli's psychopathy is quite realistically portrayed. He is intelligent, but not top-of-the-class like he claims. He is a manipulative shape-shifter - when one strategy fails, he unflappably changes tact. Oli is so hollow and insincere that we know nothing about him by the end, only what we've observed about his behavior (and even then, we are limited to as voyeuristic a perspective as Oli's). I am also reminded of a tonally different but thematically similar film called Nitram (2021), based on a real life psychopath and the bizarre events that precipitated the worst mass murd** in Australia back in 1996. It's another incredibly well-done film with a fantastically talented cast - Essie Davis's (The Babadook) portrayal of an isolated heiress particularly draws comparison to Saltburn. Highly recommended, but like I said, it has a very different tone. It is a bleak film with unrelenting dread. To end my comment on a brighter note, Emerald Fennell makes a special appearance in Barbie (2023) as Midge the (discontinued) Pregnant Barbie🤰🏼😆 Additionally, Margot Robbie (Barbie) was a producer for both Saltburn and Promising Young Woman.

*Another question, there was a quick scene with the mother signing a document with some gentlemen overseeing, was that supposed to be her signing over Saltburn to Oliver when she was ill and he was taking care of her? It wasn't clear.*

This movie seems so weird and definitely not my kinda thing. I've seen several other videos about it and it seems so unpleasant, but it's always cool to get your perspective on things. Even if I can't really contribute much of anything. I hope the bit about the end of the movie doesn't cause issues for you. I've basically never seen nudity in a youtube video before.

It was brilliant up until the last 30 minutes in my opinion

*Interestimg that he said these last years (presumably the ones living off the money from the dad) were the best of his life. Wonder what he was doing in all that time. Did he go back and graduate? Did he reconnect with his family? Or did he assume an entirely alternate persona?* Any insights?

I haven't seen the killing of a sacred deer yet. Is It worth watching? may watch it some time this week.

Ack. I'm so sorry, I almost forget to algorithm comment. And after you asked so nicely and everything!

Not the kissing booth 😂😂😂😂

If Oliver was poor and the lies he told were true, it would have come off as a class struggle story rather than the complex love/hate story it really was.

Did Elspeth and Sir James died of Covid??

*One question: are we to assume the black womans husband was once a "guest" at the home? Anymore to that?*

I literally screamed out loud when he kissed Vanesha and you see her period blood stretched as they deep kiss 😵 and I screamed WTF out loud when he tounged the bath tube drain lmfao😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I was honestly shocked by those two scenes. I’ve never seen anything like it!

God, no matter how many times I watch this movie I can't help cringing and shivering at the scene with Oliver's parents. I know what's going to happen but is just so !!! It makes me sick every time 😩

Just discovered your channel today-your analysis of this film (my personal favorite of ‘23) is among the very best on RU-vid. Intelligent, well-researched, witty, and insightful. The queer literary references are immense: Felix’s casual mention of Evelyn Waugh (*Brideshead Revisited* - scandalously homo erotic in its day); *The Talented Mr Ripley* from the caustic lesbian pen of Patricia Highsmith, a murderous tales of unrequited homosexual love; and lesbian-but-only-for-the-*right*-girl, Daphne du Maurier’s vampiric Mrs Danvers of *Rebecca!* And the *ALMOST* too obvious of both the social and sexual positions of the character Farleigh chose for the costume party, Bottom. 😎 Finally, two small conventions of pronunciation: 1) Sotheby’s - SUH-thuh-bees -three syllables; and 2) while scholars cannot know for certain, as dictionaries, let alone diacritical markings, were unknown during Shakespeare’s time, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s received pronunciation of Titania is tuh-TAY-nyuh. Thank you 🙏 for a glorious half-hour well-spent!

I don’t think it was supposed be be a class critique, I think it’s supposed to be camp. But oh well.

He isn’t lower class but upper middle class with wealthy parents, the difference between Felix and Oliver is very small. Working class people are rare at Oxford which has an elitist admissions policy. It’s clearly based on The Talented Mr Ripley.. it’s an amazing film you need to watch. By the way your video is the best analysis of the film I’ve ever seen. I hope your channel gets more subscribers because you put a lot of research into the film. Another huge reference is the 1981 TV series of Brideshead Revisited based on the novel, which is sensational. Highly recommended.

I think saltburn is just a fun film, like I don't get the "pretentious" allegations when it's very clearly a dark comedy. Yes, it doesn't say much about class and stuff, but I don't think that was its intention anyway. Like, I get not finding it funny but I think people are mad at what it isn't rather than at what it actually is.

Worst part of this movie, besides the gay bait, is that it seems to be a cautionary tale for the rich, filmed from the point of view of the rich. The director/writer called out people wo was calling it a class movie, or an Eat the rich movie, but that was impossible to leave behind. It's not a love story, as she pretentiously wanted to present her flick. It's the story of a monster (hey, minotaur!) who infiltrated this "poor" rich family and ate them all from the inside... and what makes him a monster is that we have no clue of Oliver's motivations. The actor's wonderful acting skills fall under the weight of an incomplete written character.