SALTBURN: How It Captured A Generation
By now most people between the ages of 16-30 have probably watched, or at least seen clips of the phenomena that is ‘Saltburn’. As such, for the sake of brevity, I won't give a brief synopsis of the film and instead just get straight into the possible reasons as to why it has been SO popular. Obviously there will be some SPOILERS.
The Cinematography:
The cinematography throughout the majority of the film is both alluring and appropriate, with an exceptional use of colour and lighting. It does occasionally border on becoming pretentious, but to be fair that is in keeping with the overall plot. It's particular aesthetic, combining arthouse vibes with a Wes Anderson symmetrical twist, contributes greatly to it's appeal.
Sexuality:
I didn't find it to be overly salacious, however it did evidently push the boundaries with certain scenes that were presumably designed to evoke, both a disgust reaction and a starstruck one. This is symbolic of the societal battle between prudishness and licentiousness that young people are evidently involved in nowadays.
Psychopathy:
We are currently residing in the era of ‘true crime’, and the publics thirst for content featuring psychopaths and narcissists is growing more and more, hence the abundance of Netflix documentaries being released telling mostly the same story over and over again. It is an archetypal interest, just like ‘The Hero’s Journey’, it is a part of our nature. We love films/TV series that feature the slow and gradual revealing or transformation of a meek character into a sly monster, think Breaking Bad as the best example.
Upper/Middle Class Wealth:
The ‘money aesthetic’ and obsession with dynasties has become increasingly popular in modern culture over the last couple years. It is both lionised and reprimanded by society, ironically, many popular phenomens are also received in this way. Nevertheless there is both a fascination and possibly envy/disliking towards the family throughout the film, possibly leading to conflicting opinions and feelings towards them.
Projection:
I read a thread on Reddit where someone said that we didn't actually see ‘Olivers’ character until right at the very end, and that prior to that we only saw the projection of what each of the other main characters wanted ‘Oliver’ to be. To Felix he was a helpless and vulnerable stray, to Elspeth he was a delightful friend of her son's and someone she could also care for, and for Venetia he was an opportunity to engage in rebellious promiscuity and project her own dramatisations onto. In a way, they used him as well as him using them. Projection is something that we all engage in and fall prey to, another possibility as to why the film is so popular.
Conclusion:
In the end it was a captivating and attractive piece of cinema, one that in my opinion, reflects a lot of the societal rumblings of the modern era, which, to be fair, is ultimately what great art is designed to do. However, you could make the argument that it was designed for virality and to cater for a ‘TikTok generation’ that lurches on to drama and outrage, more than a wellcrafted example of storytelling.
Also, I just realised that when you ‘burn salt’ it releases sodium chloride, which is an irritant.
Until next time,
OJ
