#is not exactly the Raphael's School of Athens meme where the Saltburn haters are

[saint-starflicker]

You're not crazy. I think even the ones who aren't doing reactionary pushback at dark romance booktok fans, the ones saying this movie is harmful representation at the same time somehow that it's queerbaiting, I think are either bored by the pacing but reaching for something more fancyschmancy to say than that...and/or have not unpacked some facet of internalized queerphobia or misogyny. (Venetia isn't an underwritten token girl shunted aside in the narrative service of some guy—she's a bloody coquette queen, literally, with the blood.)

I keep saying that if somebody doesn't like the movie then I can respect if they're honest about that personal preference. There's even been some critical angles that are genuinely incisive and honest. That is NOT most times, though, most times I sense that it's something else in much worse faith getting covered up by criticisms about the craft of the movie or performative pearl-clutching about its social messaging.

no cause why does all the saltburn hate sound exactly like the hate that brokeback mountain got where ppl are just memeing tf out of the most emotional scenes and or being like. openly disgusted with zero thought into why they feel that way. like am i crazy or has it brought to surface honest to god classic homophobia under the guise of dunking on artsy filmography. cause the longer time goes on the more im convinced of my theory that the point of this film is to evoke unconscious bigotry in the viewer and the more horrified i am at peoples lack of self awareness in their reactions