One of the most talked-about titles on the 2023 movie schedule is finally available to watch at home, and the film's director had a rather humorous reaction to the news. Drawing comparisons to similarly provocative films like The Talent Mr. Ripley and Cruel Intentions, Emerald Fennell's "terrific social satire" Saltburn has made headlines ever since hitting theaters in November thanks to its pitch-black comedy, sexual depravity and disturbing violence.
It's not exactly the sort of stuff you'd seek out for a wholesome holiday watch, a fact that the director poked fun at as the film became available for Amazon Prime Video subscribers to watch on Thursday, December 21. Fennell cheekily reposted the streaming news on her X page with the added caption:
Festive fun for all the family!!!
One of Fennell's followers commented on the post, saying that she was planning to watch it with her son:
Already got a date in with my son to watch it. We missed it at the cinema what with not living in the same city as him at a convenient time. He literally asked me to put watching at home in my diary so annoyed was he by my flakiness in making it to the cinema.
Other social-media users criticized the woman's choice, saying the film was "definitely not appropriate for mother and son."
Festive fun for all the family!!! https://t.co/6Upv4KHxR2December 20, 2023
Still, the Promising Young Woman director responded enthusiastically:
Oh I hope you both like it!! 💖💖💖
Given the scandalous scenes throughout the movie, however, this is one title that you might not want to watch with your parents, your children or, hell, with any of your family members, really. After all, there's that salacious bathtub scene and the film's numerous nude scenes. (If you're wondering if Barry Keoghan utilized a body double for said onscreen nakedness, you'll be pleased to find out that, like Jennifer Lawrence's nude fight in No Hard Feelings, that’s all him.)
As for the audience reactions to her film—which centers on an Oxford University student (Keoghan) who becomes obsessed with the wealthy fellow student (Jacob Elordi) who invites him to spend the summer at his family's sprawling estate—Fennell remains unbothered. As she told TIME last month:
I don’t set out to be provocative. I just set out to be honest, and I think that can be confronting.
She also told the publication that she wasn't at all surprised that several scenes were seemingly shocking to viewers, saying that Saltburn was meant to be a "visceral experience."
What I knew I wanted going into it, and what we all tried to do while making it, is for it to be a kind of visceral experience that is felt as much as understood. And it's a similar response, honestly, to Promising Young Woman, which is that there is a certain amount of squirming and there are moments when the audience responds completely differently to the same scene. Some people can be squealing, some people can be angry, some people can be disgusted, some people can be turned on, some people can be laughing awkwardly, some people could be laughing with joy, and every single person in that room disapproves of everyone else's response, and finds it completely impossible to understand. It isn't just about the connection of the film with the audience, but about their connection to each other.
And now you can have that visceral experience from the comfort (and privacy) of your own couch—just maybe not in the middle of your family Christmas celebrations, eh? Let's also not forget that Saltburn has been nominated for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (Barry Keoghan) and Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Rosamund Pike) at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, which air January 7.
