Actually Saltburn will always endure, despite modern day Oliver stating “It’s the end of everything” as he reminisces about the morning Felix’s body is discovered. Whoever its owner, it will simply remain. See below for more on why Oliver turning out to be middle class is such a blow for the Cattons, and click down for a plot recap and that ending. (Or my 3-star review is here)
Ass or arse? How you pronounce class can, to an extent, determine where you sit within its structures.
When Felix discovers Oliver’s middle class upbringing he feels distraught. Sure, it’s because of the lies, and that his docile little pet has turned out to be fanged. But maybe it’s also because the upper classes traditionally despise the middle classes, so having an aristocratic family suffer that worst of all fates — a lineage going back a thousand years cut down by a middle class boy from the suburbs — is about as humiliating as it gets.
Writer-director Emerald Fennell plays a bit of a blinder when it turns out that Oliver isn’t a poor boy with drug addicts for parents, flailing in a university world he can’t understand, but is actually from a bland and boring background and a (by non-Saltburn standards anyway) big house in a leafy street.
The upper classes survive everything thrown at them, thanks to a total focus on continuing the line, and — after hundreds of years living in castles — an inability to feel the cold. They bend like the wind as society changes, sacrificing a few along the way but still coming out on top even as they write sad articles in the Daily Telegraph about the cost of a new roof, or avoid inheritance tax bills for expensive paintings and then keep the painting (it’s okay, you serfs can go and see them! Though you might have to make an appointment).
Even royal families abolished by their own countries continue to produce a range of obscure descendants desperately hanging on to long-extinct titles, popping up at society events in Hello magazine, snaffling the free canapés.
Yet, a middle class psychopath, and a usurper to boot, manages to cut that class where it hurts, ending the Saltburn branch of the Catton line entirely. The family may have been unfortunately bested, but I bet their ancestors (the serf / merchant / yeoman who made those class leaps along the way) might be offering Oliver an admiring if begrudging “well done” from down the ages.
While the Cattons are blindsided by Oliver — he is not a moth attracted to shiny things like Venetia believes, but a cuckoo, looked after by the mother bird while he kicks her own babies out of the nest — they are merely being played at their own game. And the power differential means he still has to wait until they are at their most vulnerable to strike: Felix drunk and upset, Farleigh asleep after he and Oliver spent the night together, Venetia grief-stricken, Elspeth widowed.
And the Cattons have been nothing if not ruthless. They watch their hangers-on — numbers swelled to three with Oliver’s arrival — and let them fight amongst themselves until only one is left. Poor Dear Pamela, who thinks she has found a safe haven, is unceremoniously managed out to a manky bedsit. She dies that summer, presumably by suicide, and Elspeth can barely be bothered to go up to London for her funeral. Farleigh, who has to ask for money for himself and his near-destitute mother (Sir James’s sister), hates playing the game but knows he has to if he wants to be part of Saltburn. Oliver twice has him banished, and each time Sir James takes advantage of an easy way to stop paying, without looking any further into what has happened.
Once Oliver’s evil plan is reaching fruition he explains in detail, a self-satisfied Peter Jones Poirot, how he managed every stage of it, though his audience is only us and a dying Elspeth. He was never struggling to navigate an archaic and deliberately unreadable system. Oliver, a clever boy studying our greatest writers at one of the world’s top universities, always knew exactly what was happening and why, expertly pressing the right buttons and predicting Felix’s responses.
By the way, if you were struck by the height difference between Oliver and Felix — Barry Keoghan, at 5’7″, literally looks up to Jacob Elordi, who is 6’5″ — it seems like typical Fennell, though I did wonder if she was referencing the famous Class Sketch from the BBC’s The Frost Report in 1966, starring the 6’5″ John Cleese as upper class, 5’8″ Ronnie Barker as middle class and the 5’1″ Ronnie Corbett as lower class, looking up to the others. The only problem is, transposed to Saltburn the middle class person would have to be Farleigh (is he now Sir Farleigh Start?) and I think that would end him. You can watch a clip from The Class Sketch (also know as I Know My Place) on the BBC website here.
Plot re-cap: Oliver pulls it off
Much has been said of Saltburn’s most shocking scenes, particularly when viewed accidentally with one’s puritan teens on the sofa over Christmas. Oliver drinking Felix’s bathwater after Felix has masturbated in it; Oliver going down on Felix’s menstruating sister after she’s waited outside his window one night; the improvised scene where Oliver strips off and tries to have sex with Felix’s freshly dug grave; Oliver, newly crowned lord of the manor, dancing naked through the house to Murder On The Dancefloor. Still, if all that stayed with you but you can’t remember what links it all together, or you’re called Henry and wonder if you should have gone to that posh dinner you were invited to in 2006 after all, read on.
When Oliver makes it to Saltburn for the long summer break he’s quickly on the back foot after catching an earlier train and missing the car sent to collect him from the station — it’s one of many in a long line of faux pas, slight missteps that reiterate that he doesn’t fit in. Oliver hasn’t fitted in from Day 1 at Oxford, turning up in a shirt and tie, wondering at the ease with which other students seem to glide through those first few weeks, finding their tribe within days if not minutes. It’s a familiar feeling for most new students, for whom “not fitting in” can be both terrifying or a point of honour. (Also familiar is making friends, any friends, in Fresher’s Week, then spending the rest of the term trying to untangle yourself from them.)
He gradually inveigles his way into wealthy Felix Catton’s friendship group, manoeuvring around the obstacles (lack of money, lack of social standing, Farleigh Start) that are in his way. Eventually, the alleged death of Oliver’s father leads to Felix inviting him to stay at the Catton family seat Saltburn for the summer. Surely thanks to a rush of off-the-cuff pity, but also the knowledge that he can lose Oliver whenever he wants in the many rooms and extensive grounds. (Indeed, Oliver is mostly trailing after Felix, Farleigh and Venetia during those weeks, always having to search them out.)
Over the weeks Felix is emptily friendly, Farleigh obstructive. Elspeth takes a shine to him, while Sir James is mostly distracted. Venetia blows hot and cold, leading to their shocking/awkward (delete as preferred) encounter when she appears under his window one night.
Next morning at breakfast the Cattons discuss a large dinner party they are hosting for 30 friends, most of them called Henry. Talking about the upcoming dinner, Elspeth suggests they also have a party for Oliver’s birthday; James suggests fancy dress so he can wear his suit of armour.
Relaxing by the pool later, Felix is angry, as Farleigh has told him he saw Venetia and Oliver outside together having sex. Oliver tells him Farleigh is lying, that Venetia tried to kiss him and he pushed her away. Oliver then attempts to position himself and Felix against Farleigh, clumsily suggesting Farleigh is the entertainment for the rest of them.
Later Oliver overhears Farleigh and Felix arguing. Farleigh’s mother is running out of money, and Farleigh finds it humiliating that they have to come begging to Sir James. Felix says his father wants her to stand on her own two feet. Farleigh asks Felix about Liam and Joshua, but Felix has no idea who they are (they are actually the footmen, and the only Black people in the house apart from Farleigh).
At the Henrys dinner party, Oliver is seated next to the wife of one of them; they have to make small talk but she is soon bored by him and turns away. Later the karaoke machine comes out. Oliver and Farleigh talk; Oliver patronises Farleigh, offering to be a shoulder to cry on and a potential intermediary. Farleigh puts on Rent by Pet Shop Boys and persuades Oliver to sing it, though Oliver only realises he’s been set up when he starts singing the line “I love you, you pay my rent”. Oliver droops and Farleigh takes over, ever the performer for the Henrys and their ilk. He knows what he’s there for and that he has to earn his spot.
That night in his room Oliver looks at himself in the triple mirror then smashes one of them. He goes to Farleigh’s room and climbs on top of him and they have sex. Next morning back in his own room he discovers his broken mirror is not broken. Downstairs, Farleigh is arguing with Elspeth and is made to leave. Venetia, Felix and Oliver watch from upstairs.
Later the three sunbathe outside and discuss the events of the morning: Farleigh emailed Sotheby’s saying he had some valuable Palissy plates to sell (the plates from Saltburn). The chairman, an old schoolfriend of Sir James’s, had instantly got in touch. Venetia is less sympathetic than Felix, though both think Farleigh has been stupid. As Sir James and Elspeth approach across the lawn, Felix asks Oliver not to mention it to his parents.
As Felix predicts, Elspeth and James avoid the Farleigh matter, talking merely of the heat and the hydrangeas. Elspeth tells the teens about partying with the Britpop bands when she was a model, and how embarrassing it was when people thought Jarvis Cocker had written Common People about her. She moans about having to go to London, which turns out to be for Poor Dear Pamela’s funeral.
That night at dinner, Oliver is jittery, presumably because he’s seen the Catton family reactions (or rather lack of them) to hangers-on Farleigh and Pamela leaving/dying. He knows how vulnerable he is.
On the morning of Oliver’s birthday, Felix tells him they are going on a road trip. Oliver is excited but his anticipation turns to horror when he sees a road sign for Prescot and realises where they are going. Felix tells him he arranged the visit after speaking to Oliver’s mother when she called Oliver’s mobile. He tells Oliver she sounded sober; Oliver begs him to turn the car round but Felix refuses. As they pull into the drive of the large red brick detached house, Felix enthuses over the property and the progress Oliver’s mum must have made. Oliver’s middle aged, very normal-looking mother delightedly answers the door; his dad is not dead but in the garden, and thoroughly excited.
They sit down with his parents. Felix is surprised to discover Oliver is not an only child but has sisters. Oliver has been feeding his mum and dad lies too: that he is the top scholar at Oxford, he is on the rowing team, he performs in plays. Felix manages to maintain his composure. Oliver feigns illness but Felix insists they stay for the spaghetti bolognese Oliver’s mum has prepared.
The two drive home in silence. Back at Saltburn, Oliver tries to explain that he just wanted to be Felix’s friend. Felix says Oliver must leave the next day and Oliver asks him if they can still be friends at Oxford. Felix will not be telling his parents what Oliver has done.
Oliver cries into his pillow then looks at himself in the triple mirror to rousing, doom-laden music, as if he’s just had an idea…
The birthday party is massive and Oliver wanders through it, aimlessly, friendless. He tries to talk to Felix who rebuffs him. In the grounds he finds Farleigh, dressed as a horse, snorting coke. He claims he has been invited, and that unlike Oliver he belongs at Saltburn. For Oliver, Farleigh says, these months at Saltburn this summer will be but an anecdote to tell his children. Farleigh knows there can only be one successful hanger-on at Saltburn, so he needs Oliver to leave.
Inside, the crowd sing happy birthday to Oliver, but no one knows his name.
Oliver follows Felix, who is heading into the maze with a girl. As Oliver follows them in he is confused by where he is (another metaphor!) He surprises them as they have sex in the centre of the maze. The girl leaves, while Oliver in his antlers / horns and Felix in his angel wings argue; Oliver shouts that he merely gave Felix what he wanted, which is what everyone does. He loves Felix, and his actions prove how much of a friend he is. Oliver moves away to be sick and Felix swigs from Oliver’s champagne bottle. Oliver staggers off through the maze.
Next morning Oliver wakes to hear the Cattons and servants searching for Felix. Elspeth, in the maze, screams. Watching from above the maze, we see the family run in with Oliver some way behind.
While waiting for officials to arrive, the family sit down to lunch as Elspeth and Sir James don’t know what else to do. Duncan the butler is trying to close the curtains in case the coroner has to go past with the body; Elspeth is wittering on about baking; Venetia is pouring red wine over the tablecloth; Farleigh is crying; and Sir James finally loses his cool. They can hear the body being wheeled past outside and Sir James, who always likes others to keep the realities of real life away from him, puts his fingers in his ears. Farleigh, increasingly distraught, asks why Oliver is still there, and Oliver deliberately tells Sir James about Farleigh’s drug-taking. Farleigh is sent away again and told he will receive nothing more from the family.
Felix is buried in the pouring rain; Oliver sits alone in a pew during the service. Afterwards, Sir James politely and very deliberately ensures Oliver will not be accompanying the family for what they have to do next — they and the butler stand on the bridge and throw a stone with Felix’s name on it into the pond, while Oliver has to watch from the far bank. In the pouring rain Oliver throws himself prostrate onto the newly dug grave then strips off and masturbates into the soil.
Back at the house Elspeth reminisces about the vicar at Felix’s christening critiquing their choice of middle name, and discusses the gravestone font with Oliver. She becomes worried Oliver is leaving Saltburn.
Venetia is in the bath. Oliver comes in and she tells him he’s like a serf, always apologising. She notes that Oliver had only known Felix for six months, and tells him he has nothing to do with the any of them. She tells him she thinks he’s a moth: “quiet, harmless, drawn to shiny things, batting up against the window just desperate to get in.” She realises he’s wearing Felix’s aftershave and calls him a freak. They kiss and she pushes him away.
Next morning Venetia is dead in the bloodied bath water, having cut her wrists. Oliver now stands on the bridge with the Catton parents and Duncan, as they throw a Venetia pebble into the pond.
Sir James sees Oliver in his study; he wants Oliver to leave, and despite Oliver’s protestations that he cannot go, James pays him off. As Oliver is shown the front door, the staff outside stand around smoking, obviously glad to see the back of him. He walks away with his small case down the drive.
In the present day, Oliver, in his expensive home, opens the paper and reads the obituary of Sir James Catton.
Oliver sits at his laptop in a London coffee shop. Elspeth comes in to order coffee. She recognises him and tells him she’s bought a flat nearby. He offers his condolences regarding Sir James’s death; she is surprised he lived so long. Saltburn is still the same and Duncan is still there. She apologises for the way her husband treated him. Both agree they have not been happy in the intervening years. As she leaves with her coffee she impetuously invites him to Saltburn:”the coast is clear now, isn’t it”.
In Saltburn, Oliver says the last months have been his happiest, and the picture cuts to Elspeth in a bed, unconscious, and breathing through a ventilator. A flashback shows him pushing her in a wheelchair, her head lolling, before signing something (presumably her will) in the study. He watches through a crack in the door.
He talks to her in the bed, sarcastically explaining everything with flashbacks: working to meet Felix (sticking a nail in his bicycle tyre wheel so he could then offer his own bike); pretending to have no money at the university bar, so Felix could come to his rescue; sending the email offering the Cattons’ priceless plates to Sotheby’s from Farleigh’s phone; being in the coffee shop when Elspeth walks in. He tells Elspeth he loved and hated Felix, but wasn’t in love with him. In fact he hated the whole family, and we see how he put poison in the champagne bottle he handed to Felix in the maze while pretending to be drunk, and then left razor blades on the side of Venetia’s bath so she would see them while at her lowest.
He pulls out Elspeth’s ventilation tube, she twitches and dies. Oliver is sitting on her and tries to get her arms around him, but they flop down — even now he still can’t get the Cattons to embrace him.
Elspeth is buried in the graveyard next to her husband and children.
In the rooms of Saltburn, Murder on The Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor begins to play, and Oliver, naked, prances round what is now his house. In the hall he dances around the central table, on which sits a toy theatre, cardboard cutouts of the Catton family forever imprisoned within it. On the top rest four pebbles with their names on, retrieved from the lake.