By Kolin Kriner
“Saltburn”, directed by Emerald Fennell, took the world by storm with its masterful imagery, tone and cinematography. A brilliantly crafted story of disturbance, deceit, and classism, it walks a line of discomfort and humor, delivering dry comedy that works.
The superb ensemble cast delivers a jaw-dropping performance that weaves itself around the copious tone shifts throughout the movie. Barry Keoghan is a stand-out, heading the cast, really giving it his all to portray his character, Oliver Quick. The intensity and depth of the character, in all of his disturbing glory, is the driving force behind the plot. The supporting cast, primarily those playing the upper-class Catton family, delivers a comedic yet at times dark and uncomfortable performance that dives into the complexity of living a life where everything is handed to you on a silver platter.
The imagery, score and cinematography work hand in hand to produce a beautifully crafted dark tone. Imagery of windows as a device for seeing what life could be, mirrors showing personal reflection and character shifts, and the use of devils and angels to show a struggle between good and evil are heavily utilized. These are masterfully conveyed and shot to align with the tone and current state of mind the characters are in. The score transitions between being tense and lighthearted. This, along with the cinematography, which utilizes color symbolism, lighting and wide shots, brings out the uncomfortable tone of the film overall, while establishing the feeling of being in a fever dream.
The film is sure to leave the audience stunned with its balance of being shocking yet laughter-ensuing. It is dark, twisted, mysterious and erotic while still bringing so much humor and devastatingly memorable scenes. It is unique yet insane. The movie is best without any spoilers as it will give way to many reactions of “did that actually just happen?”
