Everything I’ve learned About Saltburn Has Been Against My Will

Alex Haze

29 Jan 202432:47

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video analyzes the 2023 film 'Salurn', following the character Oliver who ingratiates himself into a wealthy family's estate for the summer. Oliver is revealed to be cunning and manipulative, slowly gaining control and orchestrating tragic fates for family members while concealing his true nature. The film is described as a disturbing character study, tracking Oliver's emergence as a calculating psychopath. Though he achieves his goal of inheriting the estate, the video questions whether it truly fulfills Oliver or just leaves him further estranged and alone.

Takeaways

😱 The film centers around Oliver, a shy and reserved character who ingratiates himself into a wealthy friend's family and manipulates them.
😈 We see Oliver develop from a meek boy into a calculating and cold psychopath over time.
🎥 The film uses creative cinematography with mirrors and reflections to showcase Oliver's different personas.
💔 Oliver lies about his family background to gain sympathy, though his real family life seems fine.
🚽 There are uncomfortable scenes of Oliver slurping bathwater and Felix pleasuring himself.
👫 Oliver dominates and asserts control over the other characters like Farley and Venisha.
☠️ Mysterious deaths occur after Oliver argues with Felix and Venisha calls him out.
🕵️‍♂️ In the end, Oliver confesses he orchestrated the deaths and kills Elizabeth to inherit the estate.
🎭 The finale shows Oliver alone, hinting he craves connections he loses through his crimes.
🎒 Overall, it's an unsettling character study about the making of a psychopath.

Q & A

What is the main character Oliver portrayed as in the beginning of the film?
-In the beginning, Oliver is portrayed as a shy, meek, reserved, and nerdy kid starting at a new school.
How does Oliver's personality change over the course of the film?
-Over the course of the film, Oliver becomes increasingly charismatic, manipulative, calculating, perceptive, and displays concerning behaviors indicative of psychopathic tendencies.
What happens between Oliver and Felix's sister Vanisha?
-Oliver dominates Vanisha sexually by going down on her in full view of the courtyard, showing his growing comfort and lack of boundaries within the family.
How does Oliver react when Felix discovers he has lied about his family background?
-When Felix discovers Oliver lied about his impoverished upbringing, Oliver spirals and ultimately poisons Felix out of fear of losing his place within the family.
What does the bathtub scene with Oliver reveal about his character?
-The bathtub scene shows Oliver's obsession with Felix and willingness to degrade himself to be close to Felix, foreshadowing his later actions.
How does Oliver manipulate his way back into the family's good graces after Felix dies?
-Oliver redirects blame onto Farley regarding drug use to get Farley kicked out of the house, allowing Oliver to maintain his facade and place in the family.
How does Vanisha compare Oliver before she kills herself?
-Vanisha compares Oliver to a moth - attracted to the family's bright, shiny lifestyle but quietly eating away at and destroying them from the inside.
What is revealed about Oliver's past and motivations at the end?
-In a confession to the dying matriarch Elizabeth, Oliver reveals he had deliberately orchestrated events to inherit the family's wealth out of resentment for their privilege.
Why does Oliver still feel lonely and unfulfilled at the end despite getting everything he wanted?
-Despite obtaining the material trappings he desired, Oliver is still emotionally unfulfilled, as seen when he desperately clutches Elizabeth's corpse.
What is the main theme or message of the film?
-The film explores the all-consuming nature of the desire for power and privilege, even when obtained through dark means.

Outlines

00:00

😯 Introducing Oliver and his social interactions in college

This paragraph introduces the main character Oliver, describing him as shy and reserved in college. It talks about his friendship with Felix, interactions with a boy named Farley, and how he tries to fit in with the popular crowd. Key points are his personality shift to being more charismatic and manipulative and signs that something is off with Felix's family.

05:02

👨‍🎓 Oliver graduates and stays with Felix's disturbing family

After graduation, Felix invites Oliver to his family's estate for the summer. Oliver observes many strange behaviors from Felix's family members. There are concerning signs about Oliver as well, as he trauma dumps his fake tragic backstory to garner Felix's sympathy and continues manipulating those around him.

10:03

😱 The uncomfortable bathtub scene and Oliver's darkness grows

This paragraph describes an extremely uncomfortable scene where Oliver watches Felix masturbate in the bathtub, then proceeds to slurp the remaining semen from the drain. Oliver becomes more comfortable with the family, while displaying increasingly psychopathic tendencies.

15:03

👊 Tension grows between Oliver and Farley

There is a antagonistic sexual tension between Oliver and Farley. After Farley sees Oliver going down on Felix's sister, Oliver smooth talks his way out of trouble and gets Farley kicked out of the house.

20:05

☠️ Felix dies under suspicious circumstances

For Oliver's birthday, Felix discovers that Oliver has lied about his tragic backstory. After a blowout argument, Felix is found dead the next day. His family tries to act normal during lunch despite the chaos.

25:06

😱 Oliver's psychopathy culminates in more deaths

After Felix's sister Vanisha calls out Oliver, she ends up committing suicide. Oliver later seduces Felix's mom, and eventually confesses to purposefully causing the deaths of family members to inherit the estate.

30:08

🎭 Oliver achieves his goal, but will it satisfy?

In the end, Oliver achieves his goal of obtaining the family's wealth and estate through manipulation and murder. But there are hints he will still feel unfulfilled and lonely, wishing he could have genuinely earned Felix's love.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Psychopath

The video explores the making of a psychopath, referring to Oliver's manipulation, lack of empathy, and cold calculation. This develops into a main theme around the psychology behind such disturbed individuals who charm others for personal gain.

💡Manipulation

Oliver manipulates situations and people through lies, flattery, playing on weaknesses etc. to ingratiate himself and gain control. This ties into the theme of understanding the tactics psychopaths use.

💡Loneliness

Despite surrounding himself with people, Oliver feels profound loneliness. His isolation likely drives his desperate attempts to connect through deception. This highlights complex psychology.

💡Uncomfortable

Much of the film depicts uncomfortable situations that linger, building tension. This reflects the disturbing mindset of personas like Oliver.

💡Perception

Oliver has an acute, almost creepy perception that lets him read people and feed their biases. This astute judgement facilitates his orchestrated fraud.

💡Dominance

The play for dominance between Oliver and Farley exposes competitive tension. Oliver dominates most characters but is submissive to Felix, showing complex power dynamics.

💡Sexual tension

Moments of sexual tension with Felix and flirtations with Vanisha reveal Oliver's suppressed longings and another dimension to the relationships.

💡Class

Oliver rants about rich vs working classes, believing he deserves the life of excess. This envy appears to fuel his sense of injustice and schemes.

💡Tragedy

Though framed as romance/thriller, multiple deaths occur, leaving loss and tragedy. The slow unravelling of relationships conveys dramatic irony.

💡Estate

Obtaining the grand country estate seems a trophy for Oliver's machinations. But the hollow victory leaves him still lacking meaningful bonds.

Highlights

Focuses on the character development of Oliver showing the making of a psychopath

Oliver displays manipulative and concerning behaviors early on that foreshadow his actions

The family tries to pretend everything is normal after Felix's death, contrasting with the other characters' shock

Oliver flips the blame onto Farley to get him kicked out of the house, showing his manipulative skills

Vanisha calls out Oliver, comparing him to a moth that crept in and destroyed the family

After Vanisha's death, her father asks Oliver to leave due to his unhealthy attachment to Lady Elizabeth

Years later, Oliver conveniently runs into Lady Elizabeth to rekindle their relationship

Lady Elizabeth signs papers to make Oliver the heir of the estate after she dies

On her deathbed, Oliver confesses to manipulating and killing members of the family over years

Flashbacks show Oliver planned parts out, like putting a nail in Felix's tire to meet him

Oliver rips out Lady Elizabeth's breathing tube, finishing his long con to gain the estate

The puppets at the end represent the four people Oliver manipulated to their deaths

An interesting character study on the all-consuming nature of power and privilege

Oliver craved love and connection but his manipulations left him truly alone in the end

Despite his charm with others, Oliver was meek and submissive with Felix, the one he loved

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

'Saltburn' Is Weird

Cillian Murphy: The 60 Minutes Interview

The Jewish Teenager who hid in the German Army (Strange Stories of WWII)

Uncommon Knowledge: Part 2: Stephen Kotkin discusses Stalin’s consolidation of power

Sports Statistician Answers Sports Math Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

The Paradox of Being Nice