Saltburn

film by Fennell [2023]

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Saltburn is a 2023 film directed, produced, and written by Emerald Fennell. The film is described as a wickedly dark comedy with a gothic flavor. It centers on Oliver Quick, a shy Oxford student, who becomes drawn into the world of his wealthy classmate, Felix Catton. Oliver presents himself as disadvantaged, but his true nature is eventually revealed. The story, inspired by Fennell's own experiences at Oxford, explores themes of aristocratic privilege and social climbing. The film received five BAFTA Award nominations, and its stars Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike were nominated for Golden Globe Awards.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Emerald Fennell
Directing career
…wrote her second feature-length film, Saltburn, which was released in theaters but found a more enthusiastic audience when it was streamed on Amazon Prime. Another wickedly dark comedy but with a gothic flavor, it centers on a shy Oxford student named Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) who is drawn into the…
Read More
…wrote her second feature-length film, Saltburn, which was released in theaters but found a more enthusiastic audience when it was streamed on Amazon Prime. Another wickedly dark comedy but with a gothic flavor, it centers on a shy Oxford student named Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) who is drawn into the…
Read More

Jacob Elordi
Priscilla, Saltburn, and Frankenstein
…his performance in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. The thriller centers on the relationship between an aristocratic student (Elordi) and his classmate (Barry Keoghan) as they spend the summer at the former’s family estate.
Read More
…his performance in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. The thriller centers on the relationship between an aristocratic student (Elordi) and his classmate (Barry Keoghan) as they spend the summer at the former’s family estate.
Read More

Barry Keoghan
Star turns: The Banshees of Inisherin and Saltburn
…date was in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (2023). He starred as Oliver Quick, a seemingly innocent striver at the University of Oxford drawn to his classmate, the glamorous upper-crust Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites Quick to his family’s country estate. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it became…
Read More
…date was in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (2023). He starred as Oliver Quick, a seemingly innocent striver at the University of Oxford drawn to his classmate, the glamorous upper-crust Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites Quick to his family’s country estate. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it became…
Read More