Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Saltburn is a 2023 black comedy psychological drama film written, directed, and produced by Emerald Fennell. Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, and Carey Mulligan, and set in England in 2007, the film follows an Oxford University student who becomes obsessed with a wealthy fellow student within his college, who invites him to spend the summer at his eccentric family's estate.[9]
Saltburn had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2023, then was released in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2023, and in the United States via a limited theatrical release on the same day. The film had its wide release on 22 November before its streaming release by Amazon Prime Video on 23 December. It received generally positive reviews from critics and several accolades, including two nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor (Keoghan) and Best Supporting Actress (Pike).
In 2006, scholarship student Oliver Quick attends Oxford University, struggling to fit in due to his inexperience with upper-class manners. He befriends Felix Catton, an affluent and popular student who is empathetic to Oliver's stories of his parents' substance abuse and mental health issues. When Oliver becomes distraught over his father's sudden death, Felix comforts him and invites him to spend the 2007 summer at his family's estate, Saltburn.
At Saltburn, Oliver meets Felix's parents Sir James and Lady Elspeth, his sister Venetia, and his American cousin Farleigh. He quickly wins over Felix's family and his obsession with Felix grows. One night, he watches Felix masturbating in a bathtub and lustfully drinks from the tub afterwards. He seduces Venetia and performs oral sex on her; Farleigh witnesses this and informs Felix. Oliver claims that nothing happened and Farleigh embellished the story. One night, Oliver initiates a tense sexual encounter with Farleigh, subtly threatening him. James evicts Farleigh after receiving a report from Sotheby's that he intends to sell valuables from James' collection.
As the summer ends, Elspeth and James plan a party for Oliver's birthday. Felix surprises Oliver with a trip to see his estranged mother. Oliver panics, and upon arriving at the family's house in Prescot, Felix realizes he had lied about his upbringing. Oliver's father is still alive, neither of his parents are substance abuse victims, and they live in a respectable middle-class suburb. Horrified by Oliver's deception, Felix orders him to leave after the party. During the celebrations, Oliver expresses adoration for Felix, who in turn expresses hurt and confusion at Oliver's actions, rejecting him.
The next morning, Felix is found dead in Saltburn's hedge maze. Oliver implies Farleigh's drug use had a connection to Felix's death, and James forbids Farleigh from coming back and cuts off all financial support to him. After Felix's funeral, Elspeth insists Oliver stay at Saltburn. Oliver mourns Felix and sexually grinds against his grave. That night, Venetia accuses Oliver of disintegrating her family. He attempts to seduce her but she rebuffs him, disturbed by his growing impersonation of Felix. The next day, Venetia is found dead, having slit her wrists in the bathtub. Despondent of Oliver's continuing presence at Saltburn and Elspeth's closeness to him, James bribes him to leave.
Years later, Oliver reads about James's death in a newspaper. He has a chance encounter with Elspeth at a café and she is delighted to see him, insisting he return with her to Saltburn. After spending several months with Oliver, Elspeth becomes fatally ill. On her deathbed, Oliver reveals that he had been responsible for the tragic events at Saltburn. He had orchestrated his meeting Felix at Oxford and murdered him by poisoning his drink after his rejection in the maze. He placed razor blades near Venetia's bath and fabricated the email that resulted in Farleigh's expulsion from the estate. He planned his encounter with Elspeth at the café, wherein she had subsequently bequeathed all of her financial assets to Oliver, including Saltburn. Oliver kills Elspeth by removing her ventilator. Having now assumed ownership of Saltburn and the Catton fortune, he dances naked around the mansion to "Murder on the Dancefloor".