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Why is Everyone Talking About 'Saltburn'?

Writer's picture: Big Rick StuartBig Rick Stuart

The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kid Culture: Why is Everyone Talking About 'Saltburn'?


The entertainment landscape is different than it was pre-internet. Technology lets us hone in on our personal interests with such intensity that shared cultural experiences are rare. That’s why Saltburn is cool. It's one of those “everyone is talking about it” movies that don’t come around too often these days. And it’s actually good! If you’re not in the know, Saltburn was released in theaters in November, where it made a modest $21.3 million, but it found a second life on Prime Video.


Drawing inspiration from A Clockwork Orange, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and late-stage capitalism, Saltburn is a dark comedy about a debauched young man obsessed with wealth and excess who is willing to do anything to get it. It's intentionally confrontational, leading to controversy over its graphic sex and violence, summed up best by this quote/stealth advertisement from the professional hand-wringers at ParentPreviews.com: "This film contains so much negative content that we do not expect our reviewers to watch it."


It’s a classic class-war battle: rich people being callow and poor people being bitter that rich people really don’t care what they think. Another ripple from the film: a semi-obscure retro-disco track from 2001, “Murder on the Dance Floor” from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, has resurfaced and been enjoyed by many more people than it was upon its release.



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