[Alerta de spoilers!] Work of art, film of the year, chaos, discomfort and pleasure are just some of the terms that have been circulating on social media to describe the film “Saltburn” since its release on Prime Video last Friday (22). One of the reasons why the production attracted so many comments from Internet users is the presence of some controversial scenes during the film.
The film's cast features big names, including Barry Keoghan (“Dunkirk”), Jacob Elordi (“Euphoria”) and Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”). In the plot, Oliver (Barry) meets Felix (Jacob) at university and they both become friends. Felix then invites Oliver to spend the summer holidays with his millionaire family at their house in Saltburn Castle. What Feliz didn't expect was that Oliver would become obsessed with his family and do anything to take over the estate anything! Check out the trailer for “Saltburn”:
And in the midst of all this emerge the film's most talkedabout scenes. Due to their explicit or eccentric nature, some moments from “Saltburn” had a major impact on social media. Check out the main scenes below:
The bathroom scene
In one of the most talked about scenes, Oliver encounters Felix masturbating in the bathtub while showering in the bathroom they share during their stay. Oliver watches Felix until his friend leaves. Enclosure. Then the controversy arises: Oliver goes to the bathtub, climbs in and simply licks the drain with the remaining water contaminated with Felix's sperm. See how the cast reacts to the scene:
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📼 | Rosamund Pike admires Barry's tenderness in the bathtub scene during the Saltburn cast commentary during yesterday's Watch Party. #Saltburn 🧂🔥 🤨
Saltburn is now available on Prime Video!
— Barry Keoghan Brazil 🐺 | Fan account (@BarryKeoghanBRA) December 24, 2023
In an interview with Variety, the actors commented on the scene and Jacob (Felix) even praised his costar. “I was very proud. “I was very proud that Barry Keoghan swallowed so much of my sperm,” he joked. Barry (Oliver) also made fun of the moment: “He doesn't answer me or call me. This is so strange. He acts like he likes me. It’s weird, man.”
Oliver “Vampire”
“Lucky for you, I’m a vampire,” Oliver says to Felix’s sister Venetia (Alison Oliver). At this point in the film, after both have exchanged flirtations over the summer, Oliver sees Venetia on the stairs just below his bedroom window at night and decides to pursue her. They meet and then start making out until Venetia tells Oliver that this might not be the best time since she is menstruating. Oliver responds with the phrase “vampire,” they continue making out and Oliver performs oral sex on Venetia. Watch a snippet of the scene:
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Everyone talks about the bathtub scene and the grave scene, but we can talk about this scene??!!#Saltburn pic.twitter.com/iewgODK9Le
Jose (@josezenin_) December 24, 2023
“There are moments in the film where the joy, the terror and the magic is in knowing that you are going somewhere unexplainable. That's what Barry's interested in,” director Emerald Fennell commented on scenes like this in the film in an interview with People.
Oliver's scene at Felix's grave
One of those scenes that we don't believe until we see it, and when we see it we don't believe it. At this point in the film, Felix was found dead in the middle of the labyrinth in the garden of the family castle. The funeral takes place later and when everyone leaves and Oliver can be alone at the grave, he decides to say goodbye to Felix in an unexpected way to say the least. Oliver lies down on the grave and at some point sticks out his penis and tries to penetrate the earth… Watch a snippet of the scene:
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Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) said he loved and hated Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), so he killed him and then climbed into the pit. This scene traumatized me. Salt burn
pic.twitter.com/UgbiQoyAzhSteinfan (@_steinfan) December 24, 2023
Barry also commented on the scene in an interview with Variety, revealing that what happened was actually his idea. “The grave was like a collaboration between me and [a diretora] Emerald. That day I thought, “Can I try something?” I wanted to see what the next level of obsession would be. So I asked for a closed scenario. I wanted to see where it went. It could have gone completely wrong, but I think it changed history,” he said.
The final nude scene
This moment may have been eye candy, but it caused controversy due to the explicit nudity. At the end of the film, having achieved everything he wanted, Oliver decides to celebrate his victory by dancing completely naked around Saltburn Castle to the sounds of “Murder on the Dance Floor” by British singer Sophie EllisBextor. Watch the scene:
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That Saltburn final was the icing on the cake for me 🥵 https://t.co/8klOjH5LO2
ЯODRIGO (@RoohCordeiro) December 24, 2023
About this scene, Barry told Variety that he had fun recording it. “It felt completely right. It's about ownership. This is my place. It's the absolute trust: 'I can do whatever I want in this villa.' I can take off my clothes and dance because it's mine.' “Yeah… it was fun,” he said. Director Emerald added: “When it comes to nudity, I think I’m very cautious. It’s very important to me that the scene doesn’t seem superfluous, but is always consistent.”
“Saltburn” lasted over two hours and was written and directed by Emerald Fennell, known for her work on “Bela Vendança.” The film mixes genres such as social satire and psychological suspense and is “a love story that never happened,” as Emerald put it in an interview with Rolling Stone UK.