Elspeth Catton - Tumblr Posts

MOVIE REVIEW: SALTBURN

Genres: dark comedy; psychological thriller; drama.

Director: Emerald Fennell

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

*Wow. Just wow.

* I loved how everything I thought I knew about the movie got debunked. Sure, I was aware of the characters and the general premise, but the eventual occurrences caught me completely off guard.

*It was perfectly paced from start to finish; not too slow that it seems stagnant and not too fast that it’s impossible to keep up. Everything unfolds and flows together seamlessly.

*Although I mentioned the genres this movie falls into, in reality it surpasses genre allocation because of how quickly things switch up and occur; and that’s part of what makes it so special.

*The casting was absolute perfection. Everyone executed their roles perfectly and so naturally it seemed hauntingly real. I’ll never look at Barry Keoghan the same way again, that’s for sure, and Archie Madekwe, who I previously only knew from Midsommar is a new favorite of mine. Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike were also utterly amazing.

*The set design, costuming and cinematography were incredibly immersive. It is rare to see modern films with timelines set in the early 2000s, so this was rather refreshing, and I was blown away by the representation it gave the year 2006. There were also several stunning scenes worthy of at least a Best Cinematography nomination.

*The foreshadowing and imagery in the movie were pure brilliance. For example, in the scene where Venetia talks about doppelgangers, Felix’s own doppelganger passes by the window, foreshadowing his unfortunate death. Also, Oliver is playfully described as a 'vampire’ and his actions in the movie prove this to be metaphorically true.

*This movie might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does bring several topics to light, including those of obsession, privilege politics, desire, family dynamics, manipulation, etc. The lesson I personally drew from it is not everyone is to be trusted.

*Emerald Fennell really delivered a complex, gutsy masterpiece with this one. This is the sort of film people will talk about for years to come; either for its unabashed, almost controversial nature or its brilliant and compelling storyline, or even both. Needless to say, Saltburn is one movie you won’t soon forget.

Overall rating: 8/10

Have you seen Saltburn?

MOVIE REVIEW: SALTBURN

Genres: dark comedy; psychological thriller; drama.

Director: Emerald Fennell

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

*Wow. Just wow.

* I loved how everything I thought I knew about the movie got debunked. Sure, I was aware of the characters and the general premise, but the eventual occurrences caught me completely off guard.

*It was perfectly paced from start to finish; not too slow that it seems stagnant and not too fast that it’s impossible to keep up. Everything unfolds and flows together seamlessly.

*Although I mentioned the genres this movie falls into, in reality it surpasses genre allocation because of how quickly things switch up and occur; and that’s part of what makes it so special.

*The casting was absolute perfection. Everyone executed their roles perfectly and so naturally it seemed hauntingly real. I’ll never look at Barry Keoghan the same way again, that’s for sure, and Archie Madekwe, who I previously only knew from Midsommar is a new favorite of mine. Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike were also utterly amazing.

*The set design, costuming and cinematography were incredibly immersive. It is rare to see modern films with timelines set in the early 2000s, so this was rather refreshing, and I was blown away by the representation it gave the year 2006. There were also several stunning scenes worthy of at least a Best Cinematography nomination.

*The foreshadowing and imagery in the movie were pure brilliance. For example, in the scene where Venetia talks about doppelgangers, Felix’s own doppelganger passes by the window, foreshadowing his unfortunate death. Also, Oliver is playfully described as a 'vampire’ and his actions in the movie prove this to be metaphorically true.

*This movie might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does bring several topics to light, including those of obsession, privilege politics, desire, family dynamics, manipulation, etc. The lesson I personally drew from it is not everyone is to be trusted.

*Emerald Fennell really delivered a complex, gutsy masterpiece with this one. This is the sort of film people will talk about for years to come; either for its unabashed, almost controversial nature or its brilliant and compelling storyline, or even both. Needless to say, Saltburn is one movie you won’t soon forget.

Overall rating: 8/10

Have you watched Saltburn?

I’m not sure if a lot of people have discussed this but a really key concept in saltburn is the idea of appearances vs reality. What we see isn’t what’s the absolute truth.

The mirror motifs (like Oliver appearing in a fractured reflection or him appearing upside down, or even him punching the mirror) are a huge indicator of his manipulation. The fractured reflections represent his sort of ideas on how he’s going to manipulate (creating different identities for himself based on each person he interacts with; a helpless lamb for Felix, a gossip girl for Elspeth etc). Inverse mirrors also work in representing how he’s flipping the “natural order” of Saltburn as well as the class divide/capitalism. This might be a reach but I suppose you could link Oliver shattering the mirror to him shattering his appearance as the son of addicts living in squalor, idrk.

ALSO THE ROCK THING WAS SUCH DRAMATIC IRONY. When Oliver lies about his dad dying and they throw that rock for him but it lands ON THE BANK!!! what appears does not coincide with what is real and the rock is a veiled exposition for the audience!!!!!!!!!!!!

emerald fennel was insane for this. truly.

new saltburn theory: the concept of "clownism" (is that even a word idk LOOOOL)

anyway the Cattons love whimsical things!! This is sort of playing off an analysis done by @/ artichokemami on tiktok, where they point out the styling of "poor dear Pamela". Specifically how her outfit has like a high frilly collar, her hair is like bright red and has blunt bangs, her eyebrows look really crazy etc etc. This sort of circus thing is also reflected in the Catton Players. They just love silly whimsical objects and people (even tho that ends up being their downfall).

This next bit is more of a theory in development so very open to discussion and or rebuttal:

This ties back into the Catton Saviour Complex a lot of people have been discussing here. Like poor dear Pamela was a part of the circus and the Cattons "rescued" her, although she was a much more literal representation. It's like the same with Farleigh and Oliver but I reckon it's more hidden. Farleigh's mother running off was whimsical to the family/Oliver's parents being "drug addicts" was also very loopy cuckoo for them.

Part of the appeal of clownish things for the family is that they get to be the ones who save them from the circus. other people have previously discussed this more in depth and its like when the Cattons get bored, they move on quick!!!!!!!!! They WILL leave you for a more interesting spectacle if they find one!!!

I have too many thoughts about this movie. Send help rn.

Oliver Quick theory: he did it bc he wanted to prove them all wrong

there are SO. MANY. moments where one of the Saltburnites are telling him like “you don’t belong here” “this is our place and not yours!” “stranger fucking danger” etc…. the patriarch of the Cattons literally paid Oliver to gtfo from their lives too

honestly it would be valid if that was what pushed him over the edge. normalise ruining a bloodline just bc they insulted you and said you’d never belong with them 🤷‍♀️

[saltburn characters + text posts]

the lesbian soul inside of elspeth should be freed.