Saltburn fever has well and truly gripped the nation. Barry Keoghan's shocking grave scene has had everyone talking, Jacob Elordi's bathwater has been turned into a candle and Sophie Ellis Bextor is back in the UK charts with Murder on the Dancefloor thanks to the film's naked dancing finale.
Since Saltburn was released in cinemas in November, and then added to Amazon Prime Video a month later, the internet has been flooded with reactions, memes, and cautionary tales of watching it with your parents. Scenes have been analysed for their shock value - ahem, slurpy baths - as well as their artistic merit, and the stellar performances from Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Alison Oliver and Carey Mulligan have not gone unnoticed in the run-up to award season.
But there is one scene in particular that holds a lot more weight than you might have initially realised. Early in the film, Oliver (Keoghan) attends his first breakfast at the Saltburn estate, and when he mistakenly assumes that he must order his meal the family explain how breakfast there works - only for him to then ask Duncan the butler to return his eggs to the kitchen as he doesn't like a runny yolk. On first viewing, it feels tense and uncomfortable as we see his seemingly unassuming character make the request, navigating new territory as the other members of the family watch on with a raised eyebrow. However, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
The scene appears to serve two purposes: the first being that it highlights just how different Oliver is from the rest of the Catton family. While there are some very obvious things that differentiate him and his new friend Felix (Elordi), something as simple as a breakfast order emphasises how vastly different their lifestyles are. But once viewers have watched the whole film, it could be seen through a new lens entirely - what if Oliver had orchestrated the whole awkward exchange in order to 'other' himself from the family on purpose? It plays into his carefully constructed persona, and may have bolstered the Cattons' sympathy for him.
Director Emerald Fennell has praised Keoghan for his performance in the film, calling his ability to embrace the character 'the most extraordinary thing I'd ever seen'. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Actor category, and although the award went to Cillian Murphy this weekend Keoghan is also up for the Leading Actor BAFTA award this year.
Well deserved.
Saltburn is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
