Producer, writer and director Emerald Fennell’s second film after Promising Young Woman is Saltburn. It is a psychological, thrilling story, shot in 4:3, in a “peeping in” impression. The story observes a middle-class Oxford student, Oliver Quick, who ventures to a country house in Saltburn. Film critics and media have ample opinions on the theme of “compelled to be repelled”. The film is set in a gothic style. Furthermore, it follows a pattern of morose, uncanny events such as “We’re all about to lose our minds”! Let’s discuss the cast of Saltburn and more. 

Is Saltburn repulsive? 

Any film that displays uncanny events and shocks to the core becomes a thriller. That must be the sole purpose of it, right? People who are into thrillers would react exactly as one, after watching Saltburn. Better even, they may cringe at some of the things. Film enthusiasts and critics are under the opinion of the audience’s psyche with respect to Saltburn. Moreover, the typical intriguing scenes add layers of repulsion. Scenes like the bathtub scene and the grave scene can make some cringe. 

Opinions by Film Critics and Professors of Film Studies

Moira Weigel, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies, explains about reaction videos. She says that a reaction video by an individual has a new meaning. When someone reacts to a content, both the reaction and content play simultaneously. When someone reacts and it’s just cringeworthy, they end up spreading that cringe to their followers. In this way, the audience can have a compelling reason to watch repulsive content. This is similar to watching a reaction video of Saltburn. 

What Makes Cringe in Saltburn so Lovable? 

The North-eastern University’s Department of Film Studies has reviewed the audience quo on Saltburn. They are under the impression that thriller films can provoke discomfort as promised. They can also prove to be “cringe-worthy”, as some experts say. As a result, this promotion of cringe can offer a safe environment in which to experience the thriller and not lose cool. As certain scenes of Saltburn are deemed to be cringe, the reaction videos, however, create an idea about it. “By doing so, they stake out a kind of distinctive identity for themselves”…” to establish a kind of community around that feeling—a community where they have status”.

The Director’s Take on Saltburn 

Labeling Saltburn as just a psychological thriller would fall short of the vision of director Emerald Fennell. The film was a satire on the burgeoning upper class. The director purposefully set the 2006 theme to “really knock the glamor of things”. This was done by putting the film setting in the recent past. What a way to carry out the peeping in an aspect ratio of 4:3! Fennell observed the dynamic between the upper and middle classes through Saltburn. She went particularly in the cast of Saltburn to bring out some of the best character portrayals. She sympathized with the likes of people we hate in general. That to understand them through their flaws and unfairness while being involved in the dynamic.

The Psychology of Shock and Discomfort by Julia Hechtman and Moira Weigel 

Julia Hechtman is an assistant professor at Northeastern University. She has studied correlations in people reacting to death and near-death experiences. Hechtman asserts that art in the form of fiction can be a safe place to experience such things. As she elucidates, “When one views a horror film, it is not an authentic experience.” People are well aware of gross screen time in thrillers. This, in addition, assures them of their expectation that may be limited to “Wow, that was not as bad as it could have been”. This space of self-awareness, in turn, protects the viewer. 

Moira Weigel analyzes the reaction videos of Tik Tok that influenced Saltburn. Most of the talk about the movie was due to some of the breaches in pushing sexual taboos. She observed the reaction videos as a sort of “recontextualizing tool”. Similarly, these effectively build influence and in turn, sustain a community around the idea.

The Compelling Urge to Be Repelled In Saltburn 

The film Saltburn has reportedly raised talk among people. It came to theatres and OTT platforms in 2023 and has swept off the audience because of its anticipation. The cast of saltburn carried out their roles with sheer elegance. The Gone Girl star, as usual, took her coldness to an upper-class mother. Why do some repulsive things become interesting in Saltburn? That’s because they point to the type of “cringe” vis-a-vis the repelling scenes. For instance, the bathtub scene and the grave scene were both sexually explicit. The sub-layer of “cringe” only adds a protective layer for the audience. This, for instance, makes it easier to experience the uncanny. Above all, Saltburn passes off as a thriller to be experienced in the best of its repulsive content.