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The film which has everyone talking is Saltburn and it’s now inspired a TikTok trend with people showing off their wealth in an absurd and sickening manner.
The film is set in 2006 and follows main protagonist Oliver Quick, who has just won a scholarship at Oxford University. He meets aristocrat Felix Catton and portrays himself as a working-class boy from Prescot in Merseyside.
Felix feels sorry for Oliver and invites him to spend the summer at his family’s estate Saltburn. Oliver grows closer to the Catton family, including parents Sir James and Elspeth and his sister Venetia. As the end of the summer starts to approach, Oliver hatches a plan.
This starts with poisoning Felix who is found dead the morning after Oliver’s birthday party. Now that the family are grieving Felix’s death, he tries to seduce Venetia whilst she takes a bath, but fails.
He then proceeds to leave a razor blade by her side, she is found dead the next morning suspected of slashing her own wrists and bleeding to death.
After Oliver leaves Saltburn the film comes to the present day where Oliver meets Elspeth in a café after the death of her husband Sir James. Elspeth then invites Oliver back to Saltburn to stay with her.
During this time, Elspeth falls ill and signs over the Saltburn estate and her inheritance all to Oliver. The film ends with Elspeth in an induced coma, Oliver by her side revealing his plan all along was to inherit Saltburn.
Starting from when he met Felix at Oxford, he admits to the murder of Felix and leaving the razor blade by the side of Venetia before her death. He then takes off Elspeth’s ventilator, the film ends with Oliver dancing around Saltburn Naked to the music of Sophie Ellis-Bextor ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’.
It’s without a doubt that the film has captured the minds of young rich aristocratic families around the country who have misinterpreted the film for what it is.
Director Emerald Fennell states that the film is about the absurdity of the eccentric, aristocratic life of the Catton family.
The film was definitely not made to inspire upper-class families to showcase their wealth in such a crude way especially at difficult times.
Much to the disgust of the public the trend ‘my house gives Saltburn vibes’ has plagued TikTok in the weeks following Christmas. The trend shows rich families running around their lavish homes, past the suits of armour and other prized possessions. With the content aiming to prove their family are definitely in a different tax bracket to yours.
One TikToker says: “When Saltburn hits a little too close to home” whilst sharing videos of the grand dining room on their family’s country estate. This is shocking when statistics show 14 Million
people in the UK live in poverty, which includes nearly four million children.