Saw an edit of Farleigh at the dinner table in THAT scene, so let's talk about that -

It's gonna be a take a lot of people disagree with, but I think this scene is more disturbing than any of the sex scenes/what have you throughout the movie. Bathtub scene? Iconic. Vampire scene? Loved it. Grave scene? Made the movie. This one genuinely had my skin crawling. Even if you take away the context of Felix having just died, that scene is so visceral because I know Farleigh in that moment. I can feel all my memories of meals like that where you're sobbing and everything is crashing down and everyone's pretending it's not being reflected back at me. The domestic horror of carrying on, of reaching the breaking point over and over only to be dragged back every time, never granted change. There's something so horrific and terrifying about that scene for me - Farleigh trying to force himself to eat the cold food, the disgustingness of it all. Always going to be 100 times more disturbing than a bit of tame nudity.

Also shout out to Archie Madekwe for his performance here because it is so real I could reach out and grab it.

saltburn rambles but. the scene where oliver carefully wraps his hand before punching the mirror is so emblematic of his character and decision-making. the way he can simultaneously seem so calculated and intentional and premeditated, while also being incredibly emotional and impulsive and reactive.

as much as oliver likes to convince himself his decisions are logical, he is fueled by his emotions. punching the mirror is purely a rage response; there's no masterminded ulterior motive to breaking the mirror. it's a destructive impulse that he can't control.

he can take the time to wrap his hand, to return to his room, to direct his anger. he can be smart about it and mitigate the damage. but it's still an emotional reaction. it's still impulsive. he's still not in control.

in the same way, he takes the time to poison the bottle of champagne, but that doesn't make him killing felix any less of an impulsive response to felix's rejection.

he isn't logical. he isn't a mastermind. he's a heartbroken kid, lashing out because he's feeling scary feelings, and lying to himself. because admitting he was in love with felix means admitting that he lost what he really wanted. and admitting he's not in control means that it was completely and utterly his own damn fault.

"felix was genuinely nice" noooOOOO he wasn't!!! yes, maybe he was nicer than we thought he would've been but he was not geninuley nice, he isnt nice unless it benefits him. felix has a savior/god complex, he wanted to save Oliver which is why he got so upset when Oliver started cleaning his room, it's because felix wasn't in control of the situation, of Oliver.

I think felix had love for Oliver. I think they both had love for each other, but they were so obsessed with the idea of the other. Oliver wanted to be felix. felix wanted to save Oliver.

Felix is just a spoiled rich boy, he's like elspeth in a sense. in his case he only likes someone when they're broken. it's an act. when he's bored of them he throws them away, just like elspeth and James with Pamela.

mischaracterization goes crazy for saltburn fans

Trigger warning: talking about the motif of thr*w up in Saltburn

Examples:

- Oliver’s dad’s stone lands in puke instead of in the water

- Oliver’s puke covers the mirror the morning after he drinks himself to sleep after being rejected by Felix

- Oliver mentions getting an upset stomach from runny eggs

- A girl throws up in the fountain at the party

- Oliver throws up in the maze

I think the vomit motif in Saltburn was so interesting. Oliver is the fingers down the throat of this family. He’s forcing his way in as they are forcing him out and it creates a purge.

It is the perfect motif for greed and overindulgence. It also reflects the contrast between Oliver and the Cattons. Oliver is not afraid to get down and dirty whereas the Cattons are squeamish and easily repulsed (Elsbeth choosing men over women simply because they are dry as opposed to wet). Oliver, as Venetia points out, is “real”. Her obsession with vomit is a shameful secret until it is exposed by Oliver. He continues to push their filth to the top until secrets begin to overflow and create a purging process.

Oliver is unafraid to clean Felix’s grimy room, drink his bath water, suck his sister’s blood, fuck his grave, or rip his mother’s breathing tube out.

In a reverse Romeo & Juliet turn of events, Oliver purges himself of the poison that he had just handed off to Felix. Felix will die. Oliver will live. Only one household can live on. This is where vomit almost plays the role of a rebirth. It is a purge of the past and an invitation for something new to begin.

Hope this didn’t gross you out too much.

Thoughts????

The thing that caught me after watching Saltburn a second time is when we see Oliver’s father. It all falls into place. Oliver has his father’s eyes, his father’s glasses, his father’s clothes. He sees his future staring back at him when he sees his dad, and it’s rubbed in his face when Farleigh tells him this is all a dream he’ll tell to his fat children someday. Oliver can see how his entire life will go and he can’t take it. Reminds me a little bit of the short story Paul’s Case by Willa Cather.

new saltburn theory: the concept of "clownism" (is that even a word idk LOOOOL)

anyway the Cattons love whimsical things!! This is sort of playing off an analysis done by @/ artichokemami on tiktok, where they point out the styling of "poor dear Pamela". Specifically how her outfit has like a high frilly collar, her hair is like bright red and has blunt bangs, her eyebrows look really crazy etc etc. This sort of circus thing is also reflected in the Catton Players. They just love silly whimsical objects and people (even tho that ends up being their downfall).

This next bit is more of a theory in development so very open to discussion and or rebuttal:

This ties back into the Catton Saviour Complex a lot of people have been discussing here. Like poor dear Pamela was a part of the circus and the Cattons "rescued" her, although she was a much more literal representation. It's like the same with Farleigh and Oliver but I reckon it's more hidden. Farleigh's mother running off was whimsical to the family/Oliver's parents being "drug addicts" was also very loopy cuckoo for them.

Part of the appeal of clownish things for the family is that they get to be the ones who save them from the circus. other people have previously discussed this more in depth and its like when the Cattons get bored, they move on quick!!!!!!!!! They WILL leave you for a more interesting spectacle if they find one!!!

I have too many thoughts about this movie. Send help rn.

currently thinking about how ages ago my friend sent me a long-ass explanation about why saltburn is an adaptation of the myth involving theseus, the minotaur, and the labyrinth.

nobody asked but here’s some of the fun proof that exists of this:

first and foremost, icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun. during the party scene, it is evident that felix symbolises this poor ill-fated youth, and the symbolism here is potent. he flew too close to finding out what oliver truly is. he discovered something he shouldn’t have, and dressing him up in icarus cosplay is the perfect showcase for his fate and his mistakes. it’s also brilliant in terms of what icarus actually did to “deserve” death. realistically, he was told not to go too high or too low, but in actuality, such cryptic instructions were difficult to follow mid-flight, and it resulted in catastrophe. felix is trying to navigate the responsibilities of being a good friend with his baggage as someone in a family of rich pricks. it’s hard, and in flying too far away from his background, he “flew too close to the sun” and discovered things he shouldn’t have. as a small nod to further the icarus imagery, felix’s body is discovered under bright and direct sunlight as he lays motionless in his winged costume.

secondly, saltburn is in the center of a labyrinth. the labyrinth lore runs deep in this movie, because not only does the labyrinth function as symbolism, it has lore that runs adjacent to the lore of the actual labyrinth. in theseus and the minotaur, the labyrinth is a construct of greek architect and inventor daedalus, who was conscripted by king minos to create the maze. in saltburn, the labyrinth is constructed upon special request from james catton, the owner of the estate, and a very wealthy man (almost like a modern day king).

the labyrinth (in the original myth) is dangerous to all characters that reside within it. it keeps all in within a chance for escape, and those that get close die tragically. in saltburn, the labyrinth functions as an ode to the ways in which riches and fame poison those that reside in the walls, keeping them locked within its dangerous talons, or in this case, cleanly trimmed hedges. it’s suburbia on a larger and more internal scale. even those that do not have riches themselves, namely farleigh and annabel, do everything they can to remain on the estate and in the good graces of those on the property with immense money. it affects how they act and how they are expected to act. farleigh, as a good example, is very stuck on the particulars of rich people’s behaviour. as mentioned above, those that try to leave the maze die tragically, and icarus is a prime example. felix, in his attempt to be better than the riches of the estate socially allow, flies too close to a possible escape from the confines of the labyrinth and is murdered as a result.

in the story of the labyrinth, it is unsolvable, unless you are clever and quick witted (manipulative), which theseus luckily is. the same is true for oliver. oliver, like theseus, gets into the heads of multiple characters, manipulating his way to the top of the food chain. the scene where oliver views the wooden counterprt of the maze through the head office in the estate, he is told that he shouldn’t be there, and a sense of ominous foreboding takes place. we feel that he has seen something that will change him. however, i believe this is simply symbolism for the fact that oliver has figured out the secret to the maze: a secret that he, an outsider and a poorer, less sociable man should not be aware of, as he is a representation of theseus, a character who has no right being king.

thirdly, oliver is juxtaposed with imagery if the minotaur during the party scene, and though this costume doubles as a reference to the changeling in a midsummer night’s dream, it is still highly important. in the original myth, people are sacrificed to the minotaur on a yearly basis. at first, felix fits the profile for the minotaur: a rich, wealthy man in a labyrinth who is regularly described as going through friends the way a young boy would go through toys. it is also true that the minotaur has often been seen as a controversial figure, one that begs the question “is a monster just a tormented creature fated to behave according to the will of the gods?”. felix’s behaviour, or namely, his attempted deviancy from the behaviour he is expected to show, is a major prt of his character arch. we expect oliver to be the victim of felix’s behaviour exactly because of this. but he isn’t. an easy explanation is that oliver is the minotaur, going through the family members as though they were victims in a maze. however, oliver is NOT the minotaur, as the myth is a lot more complex than the minotaur being the bad guy. despite what we expect, director emily fennel is leaning into the concept that the minotaur’s storyline is that of fate versus free will. the minotaur is cursed by the gods to fall into certain patterns and to be punished for its behaviour, despite it doing exactly what was expected. felix attempts to deviate from what is expected, but ultimately he fits in well with the rich and social, and his death is a punishment at the hands of a sort-of theseus who believes he is more deserving. rather, oliver is also seen to be theseus, who famously invaded the maze, manipulated its dwellers in order to navigate it, killed the minotaur, and then manipulated his way into becoming king as a result. sound familiar? it is because of this that the imagery of oliver as the changeling is particularly important. the horns can be evocative of the minotaur, offering us a red herring, where he is truly disguised as the opposite. it’s a fake out.

fourthly, king minos (owner of the labyrinth) did not die directly at the hands of theseus, he did eventually meet his downfall and was boiled to death in a bath. james catton, head of the estate, dies of a supposed suicide, also not directly by oliver’s hands, but still implicitly connected to the events of the story, much like king minos’ death.

the lore in this film is incredible, and though emily fennel has not said that the film is an adaptation of greek myth, the parallels are deliciously undeniable. saltburn is fascinating, and truly one of the best films of 2023. there is so much stuff jam packed into it, and it’s one of those films that takes a few watches to fully grasp its depth. i love it!

Oliver and Taurus Chiron

Here's my little write up of the placement

Chiron in Taurus signifies a wound related to stability. Individuals with this placement may fear losing their pillars of stability and may unconsciously act against their own values if these pillars are threatened. This behavior can emerge during stressful times, such as relationship changes/breakdowns, financial difficulties, or housing insecurity. The Chiron wound influences many of our decisions throughout life, without us ever even being aware of it. Individuals with this placement are often greatly concerned with stability in life, while others may live happily without a stable job or home, a Chiron Taurus will crave this stability and function better with it. There will be this longing to have everything working smoothly and to a structure, built on a stable foundation.

It's an extreme bordering on absurd version of it for sure, a Chiron Taurus wouldn't make you murder people. I just find it interesting to connect astrology with different characters I enjoy. To think about their motivations from a perspective of an unconscious wound that underpins their choices. How that Chiron could create behaviors to the absolute extreme.

I don't believe Oliver from the get go was intending to kill anyone. I think he saw he was beginning to be welcomed into the family and thought, possibly through friendship (probably not after seeing the way Pamela was treated) or perhaps marriage (with Venetia, maybe), that maybe his social status would change, that maybe that constantly niggling fear in the back of his mind, fearing his stability would finally be satiated, satisfied and would leave him alone. Of course, subjectively we could say Oliver's life before was stable, but that is a matter of perspective. Maybe it didn't feel all that stable when he watched Felix never worry about an exam, about money, about friendships, opportunities, safety or his future.

"Only rich people can afford to be this filthy" "I'm not like you Felix. I can't miss the exams. This is all I have."

The absolute FEAR that would have coursed through his body when Felix found out about the lies would have triggered the Chiron so hard. Everything would come crashing down, the possibility of this stable future crashing around him. His behaviors then are coming from this fear that the stability he could have had, is now gone. The choice to murder Felix to ensure his lies didn't get out and effect other pillars (Oxford, career, future, lose of friendship). I don't really see it as an intensely malicious choice, I don't think killing Felix was something he particularly wanted to do/ took pleasure in (against his morals perhaps), but it had to be done to protect the other pillars, to ensure his life still had some stability.

Getting rid of Farleigh was again, him leaning against Oliver's pillars and threatening to push them over. Venetia was another version of that, once he realized she saw through him, he placed the razor in her hands.

The grave scene was true sadness, he lost a Felix shaped pillar from his life, at his own hands. He was devastated, the first true friend he had was gone, that part of him he was with Felix was dead too. In order to save his other pillars he had to get rid of his favorite.

The major discourse I see about Saltburn is whether it’s about class or queer obsession. Surprise! It’s both! Spoilers below.

So at the start it’s definitely about queer obsession. Ollie is enthralled by Felix and as we learn at the end is happy to play the hapless little damaged boy to get his attention. We see a lot of affection and intimacy between the two. And at this point Ollie has never seen Saltburn. He knows Felix is rich and has a castle but that’s it. @magicspeedwagon7 has a great post about how we get a tour of Saltburn but not really. The whole scene is focused on Felix. He points to things out of frame and we don’t see them because we are watching him through Ollie’s eyes. We see him impressed by the house but once Felix is in the room he is all that matters. Here is where we see the major theme being his obsession with Felix.

And we see this building obsession with Felix. Leading to the bathtub scene. I think here and the grave scene is where we see Oliver at his truest. His most uncontrolled. He just can’t stop himself. He is alone and can act on pure emotion and simply do whatever he desires. He doesn’t just love Felix. He wants to ABSORB him. He wants to become one with him. Of course these are interspersed with scenes of him manipulating the family. This is when we see him desire both the house AND Felix. And the way to get the house is through Felix. We see the mingling of both themes, his obsession with Felix and his obsession with having more in terms of wealth and status.

He is being taunted constantly that Felix will throw him away because he simply enjoys broken toys until a new, more broken object comes along. He tried to disregard it. And then Pamela dies. And he watches how easily the family disregards her. She had lived with them for months and they threw her out.

Before I continue this whole thing hinges on the mirror scene. We watch him meticulously wrap his hand and then punch the mirror. Most people would just punch the mirror in a rage by Oliver takes the necessary precautions but in all that time still can’t calm himself. He still has to react with emotion.

And then his lies are revealed. And he tries to talk to Felix and he’s not having it. We see him cry alone, not for an audience, twice and one is when Felix first rejects him. He blows him off so he follows him to the maze. At this point he’s already dosed the bottle. So even though Felix is showing some tenderness. Even though he nearly kisses him. He shows concern. Ollie can’t see it. He has acted meticulously, dosing the bottle, taking a drink, throwing up, but he is acting on pure rage and fear. He’s been rejected by Felix and that’s driving him insane. And he’s scared that this is it, he’s being thrown away so Felix can go find his next fix. He can’t stop himself at this point. He can’t see the tenderness through his own emotion.

And so Felix dies. And Oliver doesn’t know what to do. The object of his desire is gone because of him. He killed him after being rejected. And he can’t handle that. He can’t accept that he reacted based on emotion. No! He’s a mastermind! The puppet master pulling the strings! But the only other time we see him cry while alone is over Felix’s death. All the times he cries in privacy are over Felix. He desired Felix and Saltburn and now there is only Saltburn. We have gone through him being obsessed with Felix, to being obsessed with Felix and Saltburn, and finally obsessed with Saltburn and convincing himself it’s always only been Saltburn.

It’s important to also understand the Cattons aren’t just rich. They’re British nobles. Oliver could only become one of them through marriage. And there’s a tendency of the middle class to appropriate the lives of those poorer while constantly desiring to the top of the food chain. Keeping up with the Joneses. They want to be the top 1% but while in America it’s possible to get there from the middle class (not easy, usually you still have to be born into that but you can do it) in Britain that’s the nobles. You can have more money than God you’ll still never be able to be them without marriage or birth.

It’s also worth noting that while killing the Catton women Ollie has no problem getting his hands dirty. He slices Venetia’s wrists, and he pulls out Elspeth breathing tube. But the men? James he simply waits to pass, I think he knew he’d never truly get an opportunity to kill him and not get caught. And Felix he poisons. He kills him in a way that not only requires no physical violence but one he also doesn’t have to witness. And he doesn’t kill Farleigh. He gets him kicked out. I think he knew Farleigh was the one who could truly see him. Not entirely, not the darkness, but he knew something else was going on there. So he was the biggest threat. So instead of neutralizing him himself, he convinces the family to do it.

Well Ollie has lost the man he loved/was obsessed with. Who could’ve been his ticket into this life. And he can’t stand he lost him to such a disgusting display of emotion. So he convinces himself it’s part of his plan. See he wanted the house. Never Felix, just Saltburn. Like so many middle class men he just wanted more. Greater. To be a part of that elite social class he never could. So he keeps going. Devising a plan to get everyone else out of his way. He’s willing to play the long game now. And if taking Saltburn allows him to also retain pieces of Felix, well that’s fine by him.

And he gets what he wants. But there’s the rub, he owns Saltburn. And all the money he could want. And he will still never be noble. He can never bridge that gap. The only way to become noble is birth or marriage. Because he lost what he truly wanted: Felix.

hmm one take i have on saltburn is that it isn’t a film you have to find your way through a maze to figure out, but instead is exactly what you see.

it’s about oliver being fascinated and obsessed with felix. in my opinion, it’s like the lines blurred for oliver of how much his desire to weasel his way into felix’s life because of his attraction/obsession vs how much is his desire to become wealthy like felix. oliver wasn’t a bitter poor person wanting to get revenge on the rich. oliver wasn’t even POOR. he came up with a tragic backstory for felix to believe and play into the wealthy’s “i have the power to save them” ego trip.

it’s fair to say oliver did what he did in a way to become felix. it’s like the question of “do i want to be with you OR be you???”. oliver even questions about if he was really even in love with felix (which yes i do believe oliver was in love with him). but anyways back to my point— oliver staying even after felix’s death proves that there was some intent to become felix. he doesn’t want to change the imbalance between the rich and the poor; he just wants to become rich and that’s it. he found a way to do that and he worked, as he puts it, to get what he wants. the rich always tell the poor “work hard and you can be me one day” and so oliver did his own version of that by weaseling his way into a rich boy’s life and finding the cracks within a family that uses their wealth to mask up. oliver says “no natural predators” and i think something we have to think about is how the rich vs poor is a man made predator vs prey system. therefore, there’s flaws within it and the imbalances can be manipulated. like there’s different levels of wealth and poverty. oliver portrays himself as prey (we could even say the deer antlers is symbolism to that) to the predators (the catton family // think about the cold-blooded quote from venetia). except they’re human. he’s not actually a deer and they’re not a group of hungry carnivores. the catton family portrays themselves as liking oliver and oliver uses that to his advantage. he takes control of the imbalance because he wants wealth for himself. he becomes a predator (remember the “no natural predators” quote). so yeah, saltburn discusses classism but in a “i want to be wealthy and i’m obsessed with this wealthy boy at college and i’m going to become what he is because my attraction to him makes me want everything about him regardless of what that entails”.

I have so many feelings about that one word.

Disgusted.

As a word it brings forward such visceral reaction in me - it’s a word that’s been used against me in times of trauma throughout my life, it’s a word that as a queer person, I have become intimately acquainted with.

I think it’s what draws me to Saltburn - the film is so gloriously and proudly disgusting, it relishes in the gross and the wet and the grotesque.

We can see the influences of Gothic Literature - from which so many queer coded stories have come already - think bloody, raunchy 80’s horror movies where the body horror is not as much about mutilation as it is creation; often of seemingly queer, particularly trans, bodies. (Re Animator franchise I’m staring directly at you.)

But this is why so many of us have fallen head over heels for Saltburn, because it’s relatable to the soul of a lot of people’s queerness - we have always been told we are disgusting, but here is a film that revels in a state of disgust. Saltburn is relatable not because we’re all a bunch of drain-lickers (if you are, though, power to you) it’s relatable because the film itself feels self-consciously disgusting. The horror for Oliver is being presented with this: and the catharsis for all of us is loving the disgusting in spite.

No but I feel like the theory that Felix liked Oliver back is definitely plausible, isn't it? The cheek kiss, hand on thigh, giving him his clothes, not liking when Oliver hooked up with the sister, them often standing close together, even the jerk off session with the open door can all be interpreted that way, right? Or are these moment supposed to be loaded but ultimately mean nothing? What is your theory?

Ahhhh thank you for the ask! Yes, definitely!!! It's less of a theory so much as a particular reading of the film that folks can either agree with or disagree with.

Did Felix love Oliver?

On one hand - we see Felix being so affectionate in their very first meeting, and I do think that was intentional as a way to show that Felix is just like that. Unguarded and affectionate and warm. When his attention is on you, you feel like the most important person in the world. It's just that he eventually grows tired and throws you away and moves on. (See: Eddie. Annabel. "Last year's one.") You're not actually special, you're just the latest of his play things.

So I do think that reading of things is valid.

But god, to me, the idea that Felix at least at some point loved Oliver back makes the tragedy of it all so much richer and tragically beautiful.

It's the things you said - the casual affection. The blatant flirting. The lingering glances over dinner and the intimacy of all their silent communications. The door left open to their shared bathroom while he touches himself. The jealousy and possessiveness. The genuine betrayal and hurt under it all when he discovers Oliver's lies. Nearly kissing Oliver in the maze, despite everything. The protectiveness and savior's complex as a reflection of a sort of misguided white knight romantic hero ideal Felix wants to fulfill. The Juliet-esque angel costume, his illusion that his story is a romance.

But Oliver is so focused on making himself indispensable, so worried about being another one of Felix's old forgotten toys, that he doesn't see that Felix feels something for him too. And then everything goes wrong, when Felix finds out his lies, and Oliver thinks it's too late.

And that's the tragedy, really - that it might not have actually been too late. That if he'd given Felix space and time, he might not have lost Felix from his life completely. As Oliver said, "I mean, we’re going to laugh about this."

Because Felix does care about Oliver. Even after the lie. In the maze scene, he's still looking after Oliver, still caring about him. ("I think you need to see someone. You need help." / "Better?" / "I think you should go to bed.") That kind of gentle is so different from the posturing Felix did toward Oliver earlier in the party ("I tried to be nice but can you fuck off and bother somebody else?") and it shows that, even if Felix is throwing a fit and stewing in his emotions as he does, he still cares about Oliver and wants him to be okay. He wasn't throwing Oliver away just yet. Oliver just thinks he is.

Because Oliver has been waiting for and fearing this moment from the very beginning of their relationship, has seen so many examples of Those Left Behind By The Cattons. He thinks this is it, and he panics. He's impulsive and emotional, despite wanting too seem calculated. He reacts out of hurt and fear, and in doing so, ruins the only chance of getting what he truly wants. He self destructs, and hurts Felix before Felix has the chance to hurt him any more.

And isn't that self-destruction so much more tragic when it isn't inevitable, it isn't justified, but just an emotional reaction? When there was still a chance for a happy ending, but Oliver couldn't see it?

So all this to say (and wow this got long, sorry)... Felix loving Oliver is definitely up for debate depending on how you read Felix's character, but I do think the possibility of him loving Oliver makes the tragic ending that much more gorgeous and real.

i have… a lot of things to say about saltburn

first of all, the moth monologue absolutely killed me with the entire motif of flames throughout the movie. I feel like whenever we see something major in oliver’s “plan” (i’ll explain why i put this in quotations later) we see flames. Sometimes in the form of a cigarette, and most noticeablely in the form of the candles on his birthday cake. I think that he wanted people to forget his name, because sometimes it’s easier to trust a stranger than someone you know.

FELIX DRESSING UP AS JULIET. I think this was a really interesting choice and that it shows the message and satire that the director was trying to convey. Felix is trying to completely romanticize life, which is why I think he is so quick to believe oliver’s lies.

I didn’t understand the whole bit with oliver’s parents. I know why it was included in the movie but it didn’t really alter the plot all that much, especially since the birthday party was considered the “checkmate” and the only thing it really caused was the hedge maze argument. (I could be wrong about this one)

while it is interesting to think about, I don’t think that oliver planned the whole thing. Obviously there were key parts of the story that he caused, and he did kill everyone but I feel like in the end he couldn’t have predicted everything. Farleigh coming back, the whole thing with Venicia and Sir James being skeptical messed him up, and I think he was just acting on impulse for both the murder of Felix and the murder of Venicia.

probably going to post more on this when i’ve digested it more

"the gross scenes in saltburn brought shock value"

I mean... I guess? but also, was it that shocking? I don't even think they were THAT gross (especially with how much people hyped up those scenes saying they were "traumatizing"). the hype led me to believe it's midsommer shocking/gross..

bathtub scene? when you go down on someone you literally are eating their bodily fluids lmao the only difference was that oliver did it in the bath. what was ACTUALLY gross about the bath scene is him sticking his tongue down that rusty ass drain.

the vampire scene? HOT. sometimes period sex feels better for some people, it's not uncommon, it's also just blood 🤷‍♀️

grave scene? that was pure devastation and want/need from oliver. felix is gone, oliver needed him, he needed to be as close to him as he possibly could (just like regular sex, the closest you could be to a person is when you're inside them. this is why I love cannibalism as a metaphor for love, but that's for another post) oliver was yearning for felix, for something felix could give him but he could never get since he's gone. the scene was genuinely heartbreaking for me, I could see the love and desperation and need in Oliver's actions

in conclusion mfs are dramatic

Something about how Felix dies wearing the wings of Icarus and the focus is only on how the wings have fallen and something about how in his final moments, Felix is shadowed by the mythological monolith of the Minotaur, doomed and trapped inside the labyrinth which is the same shape of the puzzle maze that Oliver was fiddling with in the library and something about how mythology turns this family into something infallible into something without predators only to be taken down by someone they thought was their prey … people who think they’re gods destroyed by a nonbeliever,, or something