SALTBURN
Cert 15
131 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong sex, nudity, sexual threat, drug misuse, very strong language
It may be too quirky for some, but I loved the look and intrigue of Saltburn, and it is one of my surprise favourite movies of the year.
So, bravo to writer, producer and director Emerald Fennell, who made the equally intriguing Promising Young Woman three years ago.
She won the best screenplay for that film, and I would wave a flag for her again this time.
The movies have a common thread: they have many twists, superb casts, and demand concentration to elicit the most satisfaction.
Saltburn begins with the arrival at Oxford of its protagonist, Oliver Quick, played by Barry Keoghan.
Oliver is a nerdy loner from a working-class background, ignored by the social circles.
He seems to accept his lot but secretly longs after being in the sphere of the beau of his college, the impossibly handsome Felix (Jacob Elordi).
As improbable as it seems, he becomes part of his group thanks to a chance encounter and a moment of kindness.
This leads to an unlikely, if occasionally unpredictable, friendship and, ultimately, an invitation to spend the summer at Felix's family mansion - Saltburn.
While Oxford makes a compelling backdrop, Saltburn is where the movie tightens its grip, not least because of the wonderful characters who live there.
At its entrance, Oliver faces the intimidation of Duncan the Butler, played with deadpan disdain by Paul Rhys, and the discomfort has only just begun.
Rosamund Pike is Felix's mum, who blurts out indiscreet questions by the score, while Richard E. Grant is his eccentric father who is overjoyed to wear a suit of armour at a party and whose friends are all called Henry.
Then there is Alison Oliver as Felix's nymphomaniac sister, and Archie Madekwe as the cousin who wants the new arrival to leave barely before he has arrived.
Carey Mulligan, presumably doing a favour to Fennell for Promising Young Woman, throws in a Bohemian cameo.
The interplay between the characters is wonderfully spiky, and Oliver grows in confidence, allowing Keoghan to show off his considerable talents.
But where is it all going? It would be wrong to give the game away because we were surprised and thoroughly satisfied by Saltburn's hectic finale, which lives up to Fennell's bar set by Promising Young Woman.
I can't wait for her next movie.
Reasons to watch: Super script and top-notch cast
Reasons to avoid: Might be a little too quirky for some
Laughs: Four
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 9.5/10
Did you know? During filming, Rosamund Pike lived at Dryaton House in Northamptonshire, the 127-room mansion that becomes Saltburn.
The final word. Emerald Fennell: "It was important that we understood from the get-go why, against our better judgment, we would all want to be at Saltburn, and would do anything to get in and anything to stay." Polygon
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