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Saltburn – Film Review

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan

Director: Emerald Fennell

Synopsis: An introverted Oxford University student is invited by a wealthy classmate to spend the summer at his family’s estate…

Review: There can be surely no finer way for a director to announce themselves as an exciting new voice in cinema when their debut is a powerful piece of storytelling which holds a mirror up to society and ignites a conversation. This is precisely what Emerald Fennell accomplished when her incredible directorial debut, Promising Young Woman, was unleashed onto the world in 2020/21. By putting sexual harassment and the extremely predatory behaviour of men towards women under a microscope, it earned her a well-deserved Academy Award for Original Screenplay, as well as landing nominations for Directing and Best Picture. After such richly deserved success, much anticipation followed as to what she would bring to the table with her follow-up. It is safe to say, here’s a director who is not afraid to really push boundaries.

Oliver (Keoghan) is a bright but socially introverted student who arrives at Oxford University in the mid-2000s. He initially struggles to settle in and make friends, but an act of kindness towards his wealthy aristocrat and extremely popular classmate Felix Catton (Elordi), helps Oliver to integrate himself into Felix’s circle of friends, much to the dismay of Farleigh (Madekwe), Felix’s cousin. Over the next few months, the two of them begin to form a close friendship which culminates in Felix inviting Oliver to spend the summer at his family’s extravagant estate, Saltburn, for a summer filled with extravagant parties, romance and a summer unlike anything Oliver has experienced before.

Over the years, and particularly since the Covid pandemic, films which put the class system under a microscope have been in plentify supply. Yet, while all of these films had a common thread of “eating the rich”, each delivered this message in an original and witty manner. They were full of sharp observations and satire towards the lifestyles of the rich and powerful. Fennell’s screenplay follows a similar theme with the opulence and the extravagance of those lifestyles on full display. Yet, as far as Oliver is concerned, it is not a case of casting a scowl and an angry stare at the affluence of his hosts. Instead, it is in fact a desire (bordering on lust) to integrate himself into that lifestyle, where would be willing to do anything he can obtain it.

After slowly but steadily building his name as an actor to watch in recent years, which culminated in landing his first Oscar nomination in last year’s The Banshees of Inisherin, Barry Keoghan delivers yet another memorable performance to add to an already impressive career. He starts off as a very timid student who seems petrified to come out of his shell. Yet as the film slowly progresses, he morphs and transforms into a very different character once he has a taste of the lifestyle enjoyed by Felix and his family. Speaking of the family, everyone is brilliant to watch, but the standouts are easily Felix’s parents Elsbeth (Pike) and Sir James (Grant). Both of them revel in their status as part of the elite while being snobby and condescending towards those they see as beneath them, and will fire off snide remarks at will towards people such as Oliver and Pamela, a far too brief but wonderful turn from Mulligan to reunite with her Promising Young Woman director.

With no shortage of striking and haunting religious imagery in her debut film, while effortlessly flipping between rom-com and revenge thriller, Fennell repeats this trick once again and demonstrates what a fearless filmmaker she is. This time around, she blends romantic drama, black comedy and psychological thriller into one big melting pot baked in the British summer sunshine. Furthermore, through the immaculate cinematography from Linus Sandgren the beauty of the titular estate while drenched in the warm summer sunshine is juxtaposed with an atmospheric and ominous presence, particularly at nighttime capturing a gothic horror vibe to the place. The clever use of the 4:3 ratio creates the illusion that despite its vast grounds, the Saltburn estate has much less privacy than one might expect.

The film is undeniably visually stunning, and Fennell deserves credit for once again being so daring in her storytelling. However, without getting into spoilers, the direction the story goes in is extremely provocative and twisted. It goes for shock value for the sake of it, rather than having anything of real substance to say the affluence of the 1% and fails to replicate her debut feature’s emotional gut punch that left audiences reeling. That being said, like its predecessor, it does close out on one hell of a needle drop which will likely leave said song stuck in your head for days on end.

Despite some interesting ideas and a scintillating lead performance from Keoghan, Fennell’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning debut is a frustrating case of style over substance.

Promising Young Woman – Film Review

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Connie Britton, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Lowell, Alfred Molina

Director: Emerald Fennell

Synopsis: After a traumatic event in her past, a young woman goes to bars and nightclubs pretending to be drunk in order to catch out men who try to take advantage over her while they believe her to be intoxicated…

Review: For the the past few years, a number of movements have risen up about urgent topics that have demanded the world to sit up, take notice, and to initiate conversations to enact meaningful changes in our society. For example, the bravery of those who launched the Me Too and the Time’s Up movements forced world to have some much needed conversations about sexual harassment and abuse. For far too long, women were being subjected to harassment and unwanted advances by men, in just about every aspect of day-to-day life. This need for a film, that holds up a mirror to our society, demanding everyone to talk about sexual harassment and rape, plays heavily into the feature film debut of Emerald Fennell.

Cassie (Mulligan) is a 30 year old who earns her living working in a coffee shop. Years earlier, she began med school with much promise about her future. This is until everything changed, as she was forced to drop out, due an extremely traumatic incident involving a very close friend. Years later, having never fully recovered, Cassie goes to nightclubs and bars in the evening, pretending to be totally drunk. This inevitably attracts the attention of men, who initially offer to take her home, which quickly changes to back to their place for a few more drinks and to try and take advantage of her while they believe her to be too drunk to give consent. However, by revealing that she is completely stone cold sober every time, she turns the tables on these men, giving them a revelatory lesson about their predatory behaviour. Yet through every interaction with one of these men, Cassie has one ulterior motive, and it is revenge.

The well known saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” could definitely be applied to numerous characters throughout film history. Yet, one could make the argument that it has never been more applicable when it comes to Cassie, and Carey Mulligan’s performance is absolutely electrifying to watch. There are so many layers to her character as to start with, she has to portray the vulnerability of the character given everything she’s been through. She expertly contrasts the scenes where she is pretending to be drunk, with the scenes where she completely turns the tables on the men who were poised to take advantage of her. From that moment on, it is absolutely crystal clear that it is Cassie who’s the one in control of the situation, while these so called “nice guys” squirm with discomfort.

Whenever a film is brave enough to tackle two almost completely different genres together into one film, it’s definitely a risk, and there has need to ensure that the right balance is struck. Through her direction, Fennell pulls this off magnificently. The film dips in and out between being an almost horror film-esque revenge thriller, whilst also being a colourful rom-com as Cassie connects with a character from her Med School past (played excellently by Bo Burnham). Yet, the rom-com element never negates the revenge-thriller aspect, and vice versa. There is a brief lag in the film’s pacing in and around the second/third act. However, this is definitely a momentary lapse, before Cassie’s endgame comes into view, as the events that set her off on this path of revenge come full circle.

The film is once again a timely reminder of the work that needs to be done when it comes to dealing with harassment, in just about every single walk of life, and how society once again fails to protect women who fall victim to the predatory behaviour that they too often experience at the hands of men. Certain elements of the film may be uncomfortable to sit through, but it’s clear that Fennell’s goal is not to provide comfort to the audience. Her aim is to open their eyes, especially those of men, and remind them of the seemingly never ending barrage of unwanted attention and harassment that women get on a constant basis. In the years since the Me Too movement sparked those much needed conversations, a few films have made efforts to tackle the subject. However, no film has done it such a daring, yet successful manner. Whenever a film comes along that strives to hold up a mirror to the society we’re living in, it must leave a lasting impression, and Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut does not miss.

Boasting a career best performance from Carey Mulligan, thanks to its bold and daring approach to its timely subject matter, Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut is perhaps the most important film in the post #MeToo era of Hollywood.