Yahoo Movies Saltburn's outrageous sex scenes mean more than you think
Saltburn spoilers follow.
Barry Keoghan redefines the meaning of "thirsty" in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn, a sweaty fever dream carried by some of the wildest explicit scenes you'll see this year.
Fennell's bold movie has benefited from amused, excited word of mouth after the first previews. The virtual whisper of the words "bathtub" and "grave" on social media has managed to sell the film well before its release, with intrigued cinemagoers ready to flock to the theatre to see what the hype is all about.
This psychological dark dramedy wobbles on the shoulders of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr Ripley to tell one of the oldest tales in the world. Ambition, obsession and hunger come together in a highly volatile combination that fuels protagonist Oliver 'Ollie' Quick (Keoghan), a scholarship Oxford student who aches for a better future.
The year is 2006, as brilliantly highlighted by the meticulous needle drops (think MGMT, Bloc Party and the inevitable 'Mr Brightside'). At the height of this cringe era, outsider Ollie befriends aristocratic f**kboy Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), confidently exuding BDE and in-your-face heterosexuality to not even realise, or care, that his new pal may be looking for more than just a study buddy.
Felix takes a shine to this humble Merseyside lad, offering him a break from his difficult home situation to spend a sticky summer at the Cattons' stunning estate, the titular Saltburn.
There, Ollie gets acquainted with the Catton clan, coldly coddled by deliciously out-of-touch mother Elsbeth (Rosamund Pike), curiously observed by father Sir James (Richard E Grant) and courted by Felix's ennuied sister Venetia (Alison Oliver).
Ollie gets a glimpse of a microcosm that appears to be within reach but is never truly graspable, a universe of black tie dinners and fancy costume soirées that's profoundly rotten beneath its glossy surface. Sex is what Ollie can bring to the table, as his fixation translates from Felix to the house itself, and finds an outlet in a crescendo of unhinged moments.
Everything is on show in Saltburn, but it's not entirely just for shock's sake. Here, sex is a way to cannibalise other people's lifestyles, putting a sensual, disturbing spin on the Eat the Rich trope.
Keoghan infuses Ollie with a visceral desire for the things and people he loathes the most. His urge borders on repulsion, with sweat, blood and semen acting as a proxy. Body fluids are a quick fix of that elite DNA the protagonist doesn't possess by birth and is desperate not just to get a taste of, but to let flow through him.
Unknown to Felix, Ollie begins spinning his web of lies and seduction, starting with what he identifies as the weakest link, Venetia.
On a sweltering night in the garden, she warns him she's menstruating, though she's unable to even say the word, relying on the more sanitised "time of the month". For his part, Ollie is unfazed, going down on Felix's sister and painting her face in her own menstrual blood, with this encounter foreboding an equally crimson resolution later on.
When Felix's cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) threatens to expose the affair with Venetia, Ollie resorts to a transactional handjob to trick him into being ousted by his own family.
These scenes may feel relatively tame though compared to the movie's two biggest moments, guaranteed to be etched on the audience's memories after the end credits roll.
As teased in the trailer, which includes a shot of Keoghan in a bathtub with the words "come inside" written across in a gothic font, Ollie quenches his thirst in a sperm-slurping session.
Ollie watches on as an unaware Felix masturbates in the bath and once his friend leaves, he proceeds to sneak in, diving face-first into the murky water to sip on what's left of Felix.
The camera lingers on his ecstatic expression, while an evocative sound design contributes to crafting a sensorial experience that's not quite erotic nor entirely revolting, but a deranged, exhilarating hybrid.
Yet, the most gasp-inducing sequence only reveals itself well into the second act. After Felix dies, Ollie dry humps his freshly-filled grave in the pouring rain, tears streaming down his cheeks. The distraught character pounds the soil in a mechanical throbbing that's devoid of any real emotion but speaks volumes about his compulsion.
Those who hope for some delicately choreographed, authentic, intimate scenes will be sorely disappointed. As will those who expect some major nudity in said sequences. (Fret not if that's what floats your boat as the movie redeems itself with a full-frontal finale as Ollie dances through Saltburn, hilariously soundtracked to Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Murder On The Dancefloor'.)
Similarly, viewers that will go in awaiting the queer story that has been promised won't be entirely satisfied. There's definitely some sexual tension between the two male leads, with longing stares aplenty, but this impossible, frustrating connection never materialises – though let's be honest, we've settled and called a film queer for way less than that.
The movie sits at the opposite end of the spectrum to Fennell's strong debut, genre-bending rape revenge Promising Young Woman.
After leaving the assaults out of her first movie – a decision that made it all the better – the director goes in the opposite direction with Saltburn, a voyeuristic social satire that aims for the jugular and drains it to the last drop.
It's unclear whether Saltburn's funny, if flimsy, fable of privilege will stand the test of time. What is apparent is that Academy Award-winning screenwriter Fennell has thrown the naughtiest night of the year with her second movie, the sort of exclusive event Ollie would shag or kill, or both, to get an invite to.
Saltburn is out now in cinemas.
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