34 – Saltblah

Never the Twins Shall Meet

Our podcast is back, and we’re in our hater era! In this episode, we tackle the infamously divisive 2023 film Saltburn, a psychological thriller directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick, an Oxford scholarship student invited to his wealthy friend’s summer estate, Saltburn, for a summer that takes a dark turn. (Spoiler alert: we didn't like it.) Topics discussed include the film’s muddled class commentary, our hatred of the film’s ending, and it’s intent to shock and upset the viewer.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Blue Eye Samurai (2023-)
• Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
• A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris
• The Holdovers (dir. Alexander Payne)
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
• Bellies by Nicola Dinan
• Promising Young Woman (dir. Emerald Fennell)
• The Eternals (dir. Chloe Zhao)
• The Banshees of Inisherin (dir. Martin McDonagh)
• Knives Out (dir. Rian Johnson)
• Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho)
• Can posh people write good slass satire? By Patrick Sproull for Dazed
• Romeo + Juliet (dir. Baz Luhrmann)
• Biting the Hand by Julia Lee
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
• Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist
• These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
• Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
• Temper by Layne Fargo
• They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
• Interview With the Vampire (2022–)

Content Warnings: Discussions of drug overdose, suicide, murder, classism, racism, manipulation, and sexual assault

Also, not actually related to the content of this episode, but if you are an American listener, we would like to invite you to call your representatives and demand a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. 5calls.org makes it easy to do.