Saltburn (2023) Dir: Emerald Fennell
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I deliberately did not look up much of this film, so that I would have as full an experience as I could. I had heard many great things about Emerald Fennell's comedy thriller, and so I was incredibly keen to form my own opinion.
From a visual standpoint, I truly adored the film. It used relatively simple techniques and shots to create some beautiful shots, and had some, for the most part, very good costume design. I also really enjoyed the use of lighting throughout the film, which created a number of enjoyable visuals.
Thematically, the film perhaps lost its way every now and then, but for the most part it chartered a steady, albeit wild course from beginning to end. I found myself intrigued by the story, the sounds and the setting, and how each was utilised, near-enough immediately, which was definitely a good thing, of course.
The narrative was a tricky one to judge, to be honest. There were a lot of fantastically written scenes and developments, but also a few that didn't quite work for me. The way the narrative twisted halfway through into a whole new dynamic was both fascinating and phenomenal.
However, the ending became increasingly more predictable, and wasn't quite as well executed as I had hoped. Don't misconstrue, I enjoyed it, but I saw it coming a mile away, and spent a lot of the film waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think it was a little poorly conceived, or at least executed - a twist that, while impactful, left me disappointed and wondering if that was it. It was a little like piercing a balloon and seeing it sag instead of explode.
Barry Keoghan showed himself, once more, to be a truly phenomenal talent. The way he manipulated everything on-screen and expressed countless emotions with his voice, face and body language was utterly magnificent.
Jacob Elordi was a little hard to judge initially. I think he had some very well acted scenes, and he committed very well to his character, but equally, that commitment bordered on full-on parody at times. I found it a little grating ultimately. Nonetheless, his acting was pretty solid aside from that.
Alison Oliver started off a little weak, but really improved throughout her performance. I thought the way she interacted with Keoghan in the last third of the film was superb, but her best scene was one of her last, in which she was wonderfully believable.
Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant provided a couple of really interesting performances, which offset one another pretty nicely. I especially enjoyed Pike, who was a really consistent figure in the film, and was totally believable and enjoyable in her role.
Archie Madekwe really impressed me in a number of scenes with his emotional range, but his character, at times, felt a bit one-note. I also want to give a quick mention to the talented Carey Mulligan for her small, bizarre but also pretty funny supporting performance.
Overall, this was an emotional rollercoaster of a film that flung me in all sorts of surprising and emotional directions. But, while I loved the majority of what I saw, there were a few things that slightly hindered my enjoyment. Furthermore, the more I thought about it post-watch, the less I liked it. I think this was an okay film, but I also think it could have been a lot better.
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