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many of you could benefit greatly from a bit of “playing pretend”

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put those awesome boobs away dude now isn't the time

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sexy and insane and wild and whimsical (didn’t get the chance to properly develop during formative years)

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Anyone else noticed the way Felix is always baring his neck?? Like even the first time he meets Oliver he's doing this:

Like literally just tossing his head back and exposing his throat. We get this shot of Felix so many times that it's almost a motif lol he does it again here:

And of course he does it in the tub:

And again, for the very last time, in the maze :

Any time I see an image repeating like this over and over again I start wondering how it is significant. If we're reading Saltburn as an non-supernatural vampire story, which imo it absolutely is, we can see Felix's repeated vulnerability. He's exposing his life force to Oliver. We see the pulse in his neck, thinly veiled and beating under his skin. We see his fragility and his exposure and Oliver sees it too. Oliver, functioning as a 'vampire' of sorts, just wants to take. And take. And take from Felix. His obsession with consuming Felix in turn functionally consumes him. He never kisses Felix, he never gets that "bite" Felix is opening himself up to in these moments and I don't think any amount of Felix would be enough for Oliver. Further, i think Oliver actually recognizes his own insatiability in those final moments in the maze and decides that he is going to take Felix in the only way he knows will be complete and absolute. The utter finality of death appeals to Oliver in that moment because he wants everything to *last* and if he can end Felix's life, he knows at least he can do something to Felix that will be eternal.

Which leads us to see Felix hanging his head. He has no life force left to bare to Oliver anymore. He slumps his shoulders and crouches in on himself in these final moments. Oliver has finally drained him.

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felix not acknowledging oliver’s assertion that he had to ‘put on a show’ for felix made up of lies about living in poverty and having a bad home life in order to be befriendable makes that first conversation scene so fucking funny bc felix really does look like he flung his legs wide open the exact moment that oliver said he had problems

“what kind of…what do you mean, problems?” the way he’s twisting in place lmaaaoooooo he is definitely gonna have to dry off that seat when he gets up to leave. that pussy is DRIPPING

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maybe i do understand the symbolism and subtext of saltburn but what if i want to sum it up as a film about a guy who is a little freak who becomes obsessed with a wealthy college classmate of his and manipulates his way into his life then eats the rich boy’s cum and bath water mix out the drain then eats out rich’s boy’s sister when she’s on her period then fucks their cousin and the longer he stays at their house the more he descends into madness and ends up murdering his obsession, the sister, and their mother so he can inherit their wealth?? what happened to letting films just be insane and enjoyable?? why must everything be direct commentary on an issue?? let characters be freaks and flawed and exist in fun interesting films that clearly understand what the female gaze is

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So, there's obviously the foreshadowing of Felix's death with his doppelganger passing the window when Venetia's telling the story about Shelley's doppelganger, but I realised that scene is also mirrored with the lunch scene after his death, when he's wheeled passed the window by the coroner (unseen, but heard, after Duncan and the footmen close the curtains)

And Sir James covers his ears so he can't hear the gurney, the same way Felix covers his ears to not hear the story about Shelley

(There's not really a point to this post, but there’s a lot of mirroring/bookending of scenes in Saltburn and I like spotting them!)

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the rants continues... Oliver compulsively lies to and manipulates everyone around him, his parents, Felix and the rest of the Catton family to create this version of himself that fits into whatever they're drawn to. For Felix it's the downtrodden underdog with abusive parents that Felix can take pity on and for Venetia it's someone who suspossedly "sees" her, seduces her regardless of her period and "cares" about her eating disorder.

With Elspeth he tries his luck at seducing her but seeing that it doesnt work he quickly changes his angle to reassuring her that she's a good person. For the father he becomes someone who knows the family history and about the items they covert which impresses him greatly.

His own parents believe he's doing incredibly well at Oxford, that he is a part of the rowing team and has a job all at the same time.

He takes on all of these personas because as his parents said before Oxford, Oliver didn't have any friends.

When he went to Oxford I'm guessing he decided to completely reinvent himself and hence why he didn't want to have any interaction with his parents and why he manipulated the situation with the bike so he could get onto Felix's radar. I believe he initially wanted friends and then became obsessed with Felix. When Felix first rejects him, he lies about his father passing because he wants Felix back. He ends up with an invite to Saltburn and runs with it. He's living laughing loving life, as much as he can because he doesn't have Felix. Hence the bath scene. Seduces Venetia (This is where I might be crazy but technically Venetia's blood is Felix's blood because they're siblings so maybe that's why he goes down on her) ? A whole load of shit happens, the whole time I think Oliver is desperately trying to cling onto this new life he's created for himself.

TLDR I don't think Oliver went into this wanting Saltburn and everyone dead. I think he's a compulsive liar and manipulative and he is deep down incredibly lonely (His birthday scene when nobody knews his name) and things spiraled. Also his manipulation doesn't work with Farleigh because Farleigh is the same but in a far less sociopathic way. Felix mentions that Farleigh keeps getting kicked out of schools for sucking off his teachers which sounds incredibly manipulative but never once does he ever think Oliver is capable of killing Felix.

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I truly believe that the only reason farleigh was left alive is that Oliver had some respect for the man trying to do that same thing he was, and by respect I do mean that this is the most insane power trip. You survive by my hand only to see that I have won in the end. Like fucking hell oliver is crazy and I have to believe farleigh was attracted to that shit.

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oh i also have things to say about how both of oliver’s actual sex scenes are strictly about power and control, he decides exactly how the interactions are going to go and he doesn’t even have to be aroused to go through with them. when felix is involved he loses all control

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I think the thing about Saltburn that makes me lose my mind the most is that Oliver's longing was so intense that he found a way to cast himself in the play of Felix's life, taking on the role of the damsel in distress specifically so Felix could feel like the hero. I mean, what the fuck. He really went out there and said I will make myself weak so you can feel strong. I will be small so you can be big. Whatever role I can get in your life, I'll take. Just to be near you. Just to gaze at you with your little red glasses and lollipop, Lolita-ing it up on a hot summer day. Just to drink your cummy bathwater after you jerk off. And when Felix found out all that he'd done, he didn't want him anymore. How fucked up is that. If some feral little man turned himself into Oliver fucking Twist to seduce me I'd let him nip at my heals like a sad little dog for the rest of my life. What the fuck.

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Can we talk about the fact that he made up a whole story about putting his fingers down his mothers throat to get poison out and save her from dying but then irl he’s the one providing the poison to someone he actually loves

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“I didn’t love him.”

Bitch you started bawling, got naked, and stuck your dick in the dirt on top of his grave. I think it’s sufficed to say you did somewhat.

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We need to talk about Oliver and the grave scene. (spoilers)

Barry Keoghan's improvisation in that scene completely changed Oliver's character and the film as a whole. It encapsulates a critical moment of emotional catharsis for Oliver, marking the first and only time in the film where he completely lets down his guard.

Throughout the film, Oliver maintains a distance from Felix, constantly holding back parts of himself, standing in front of the bathroom door but not allowing himself to enter. At first glance, it appears almost masochistic, but it's critical to understand that Oliver's feelings for Felix go beyond love. He's obsessed. It's as if he fears that getting too close to Felix could expose his true, empty self. And deeper than that, Oliver perceives Felix as something ethereal, akin to a living god. How could you even begin to approach such a being?

His confession in one of the last scenes with Felix where he admits that everything he did was to meet Felix's desires, underscores this guarded nature. Even in this moment of apparent honesty, Oliver is totally incapable of being fully vulnerable with Felix, as evidenced by his backup plan involving the drink.

In stark contrast, the grave scene is where Oliver's walls finally come crashing down. His open weeping, undressing, and act of penetration with the grave soil are profoundly powerful symbols of his extreme vulnerability and his unfiltered emotional state, now finally free of all societal pressures. As disturbing as this act may be, it symbolizes his intense longing for a deep, unfulfilled connection with Felix. In death, where Felix can no longer see or judge him, Oliver finally finds the freedom to express his true self and desires.

The act of penetration can be seen as a desperate, symbolic attempt to maintain a bond with Felix, a way to bridge the unbridgeable gap between life and death. It's a poignant and tragic manifestation of his grief, the complex emotions of longing and obsession he silently harbors throughout the film.

The grave scene is a turning point in Oliver's character arc, perfectly complimented by the finality of the grave beneath him.

Oliver loved Felix in the only way Oliver knew how to love Felix.

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[saltburn characters + text posts]

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Saltburn: text post meme 🦌🔪🏰🍷🪽👑

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3