Oxford University 2006. Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a sharply intelligent student from a poor background with a lack of friends. After a chance act of kindness where he assists Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) he finds himself integrated into the rich kid circle. As the school year wraps up Felix invites him to his family home Saltburn for the summer. 

Our protagonist Oliver is forever an outsider who does not fit in. Initially his only friend is another smart student, but he is only a friend out of proximity and necessity. The moment that Felix welcomes him into his circle Oliver drops him with hardly a second thought. But with Felix he opens himself up. He tells him of his difficult upbringing. His parents who were addicts and dealers. And it is the sudden death of his father that prompts Felix to offer him a second home for the summer break. 

When Oliver gets to Saltburn it is a different world. We meet Felix’s mother Elspeth (Rosamund Pike), father Sir James (Richard E. Grant), sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) and family friend “Poor Dear Pamela” (Carey Mulligan). Their lives are far removed from anything Oliver or the majority of the world are used to. A hedonistic mix of parties and excess where no faux pas cannot be resolved by their money and privilege. 

Ultimately Oliver is a plaything for the rich Catton’s. They have grown bored of “Poor Dear Pamela” and Oliver is their new project. But whilst Oliver is sometimes shy and apologetic he occasionally shows a commanding and astute manner that puts the Catton’s under his spell. At various points Felix, Elspeth and Venetia all seem targets for his insatiable lust and desire for the family. 

The result is an incredibly funny and incredibly horny film about class featuring some wonderful characters. The most brilliantly drawn being Rosamund Pike’s Elspeth. It was a funny moment when I was considering Pulp’s Common People being a comparison when Elspeth directly references the song. Whilst her two faced attitude to “Poor Dear Pamela” delivers the best lines in the movie. 

Saltburn is the eagerly awaited sophomore film from writer/director Emerald Fennell who brought us the brilliant Promising Young Woman. Mulligan’s small role in this feature is a delight as well and gives her another opportunity to bite into a unique character. Fennell herself is from an affluent family and attended Oxford at the time the film is set. So clearly she has decided to write what she knows and skewer it at the same time. The result is an incredibly moreish and enjoyable film. The characters are all horrible but fascinating. Whilst the humour and drama are hard to avert your eyes from and the ending is absolutely killer. 

It may not have as much to say as Promising Young Woman but with less of a moral conundrum it becomes more wildly entertaining.