The Big Picture
Nothing is what it seems in Emerald Fennell’s second feature film, Saltburn. Although the plot is heavily focused on outsider Oliver Quick’s (played Barry Keoghan) obsession with the wealthy and hot Felix (Jacob Elordi), there are other characters that steal the spotlight in this “eat the rich” project. Despite Rosamund Pike delivering funny one-liners as Elsbeth, the true underrated star of this twisted black comedy is Alison Oliver’s Venetia. On the surface, Venetia seems shallow and superfluous, but as Oliver starts to mess with her head, viewers get to see the character’s vulnerability seep in. As a result, Felix’s sister becomes a captivating presence onscreen and plays a pivotal role in Oliver’s vengeful plan to take over the luxurious estate.
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Release Date November 17, 2023
Director Emerald Fennell
Cast Rosamund Pike, Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Carey Mulligan, Archie Madekwe
Rating R
Runtime 127 minutes
Main Genre Drama
Venetia is the First Family Member that Oliver Meets at Saltburn and Becomes His First Target
When Oliver is invited to spend the summer with Felix in Saltburn, it is clear that he is the odd one out. As he roams around the rooms and gets acquainted with an extremely rich scenario that is far from his upbringing, the protagonist meets Felix’s family. Before he enters the room where everyone is gossiping about him, Oliver sees Venetia first, and she observes him with a cheeky smile as if he were the new toy she gets to play with. This introduction to Venetia is significant considering what happens later on in the film, because it shows how she underestimates the main character, mistaking him for a wholesome and scrawny guy unable to harm anyone.
As Oliver gets comfortable at Saltburn and has a better grasp of the house rules, he starts to unleash his devious side and chooses Venetia as his first target. In a conversation with Elsbeth, he finds out that Felix’s sister is anorexic and is never truly happy with her appearance. She feels insecure, especially considering that her mother is a former model who simply despises anything that doesn’t fit into her perception of beauty. Little does Elsbeth know that she allowed her family’s greatest enemy to use sensitive information to his advantage. Oliver uses his knowledge about Venetia’s eating disorder as a way to get to her and seduce her into his trap.
Felix’s Sister is Made Vulnerable Through her Period Intimacy Scene with Oliver
Different from her family members, Venetia isn’t just a narrow-minded, rich girl. Underneath the expensive accessories and her playful posture lies someone that is sensitive and doesn’t let her guard down very often. This makes her more relatable and captivating to viewers in comparison to her wealthy brother and parents. When she waits for Oliver in a see-through nightgown in the garden, she just wants someone to desire her and make her feel beautiful, in a way that her family never does. The moment in which the protagonist tells her to eat, she feels vulnerable at the thought that Oliver knows about her personal struggle. As he furthers his attempt to seduce her, the protagonist offers Venetia sexual pleasure while she is on her period. This scene is a bloody demonstration of Oliver successfully luring Venetia into his trap, making her feel wanted and even compelled to follow his orders to eat any meal he tells her to.
The next day, it became clear that Venetia was willing to eat, even though she would normally dread gulping or gorging anything that could affect her appearance. This shows that Oliver has finally overtaken the first family member in Saltburn. When Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) tells Felix about what went down between Oliver and Venetia in the garden, Oliver is caught off-guard and must regain Felix’s trust in order to continue in control of his vengeful plan. As a result, the main character decides to disregard Venetia completely after their intimate encounter, leaving her emotionally distraught.
The Bathtub Scene Marks the Shift in Venetia’s Perspective of Oliver
If it weren’t for the heartbreak she experienced with Oliver earlier in the film, Venetia probably would never have shifted her perspective on him towards the end. The evolution that the character experiences throughout Saltburn leads her to one of the film’s most memorable turn of events, which takes place in the infamous bathtub. After Oliver kills Felix at his birthday party, he keeps a low profile in order to maintain his innocence. As the Catton family grieves in their own way, he tries to comfort them while also pretending to feel upset about the loss of his friend. For Oliver, everything is meticulously laid out in a masterful plan, so it is his worst nightmare that things might go wrong. When he visits Venetia during her bath, she begins to connect the dots about how odd Oliver’s behavior has been ever since her brother’s death. She starts off by saying that she felt sorry for his reaction at the funeral, sobbing uncontrollably. Yet, Venetia shifts gears to talking about how, in hindsight, his reaction was “pathetic” because Oliver had only known Felix for six months. Her remark shows how the character is not at all in awe of the protagonist, but rather sees his true colors. Even though Venetia’s epic bathtub scene is followed up by her imminent death, Alison Oliver’s delivery is pitch perfect. It’s easy to understand her remarks in an interview with Collider’s own Perri Nemiroff about how the scene literally shows the character “finally revealing all the things that she can see right through”.
Overall, Venetia is the most underrated character in Saltburn because there is more to her than what viewers anticipate when she is introduced in the film. Throughout her interaction with Oliver, it becomes apparent that underneath the luxury, she is just a normal girl wanting to be desired and feel beautiful. Her struggle with an eating disorder adds another layer to her arc by showing how the protagonist is able to lure her into his trap through one of her greatest struggles. After she is tossed aside by Oliver, her deception allows her to see the protagonist’s cruel intentions, thus delivering one of the most captivating monologs in the film during the bathtub sequence.
Saltburn is currently in theaters.
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