Oliver Quick steps out onto his balcony in a dazed state as he curiously looks around the courtyard at the people searching for a missing Felix Catton. screen capture from Saltburn via Google Images
This movie has gained popularity on social media for capturing the beauty and craziness of young adulthood, though it may not be the type of crazy that comes to mind.
The movie Saltburn has taken the world by storm with its continuous unraveling of secrets and captivating plot twists. Written and directed by Emerald Fennell, Saltburn is a story that follows two students at Oxford, Oliver Quick (played by Barry Keoghan) and Felix Catton (played by Jacob Elordi). The two boys form a genuine friendship throughout the movie until everything takes a turn for the worse.
In the movie, Oliver meets Felix after lending him his bike because Felix’s tire popped. The boys proceed to run into each other later on in the movie and Felix invites Oliver to grab some drinks with him and his friends. As Felix and Oliver get to know each other, Felix learns that Oliver’s dad has passed away and his mom isn’t a very good parent, so he invites Oliver to spend the summer at his house. The estate is called Saltburn, which is where the movie title comes from. Once Oliver arrives at Saltburn, he meets Felix’s mother, father, sister, and best friend (in order, played by Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, and Archie Madekwe). Everyone is enjoying their summer until one day, Felix goes missing following a party that was thrown the night before.
Saltburn has gained the most attention on TikTok, inspiring several different trends and trending audios. The most famous trend involves a camera following people as they dance around their house to the song “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bexter. This trend is a reenactment of the ending scene in Saltburn where Oliver dances around Felix’s house in the nude to the same song. However, in the TikTok trend everyone is fully clothed.
Saltburn has brought “Murder On The Dancefloor” back into the spotlight since its release in 2001. The song has more than 3.9 million U.S. streams, has placed 51st on the Billboard Hot 100, and continues to rise. This isn’t the first time a movie or TV show has brought a song back into the spotlight. In 2022, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush topped the charts after it was used in Stranger Things season four. “Murder On The Dancefloor” is also included in thousands of videos posted to it on TikTok, whether it be to participate in a trend or lip sync to it.
Actor Jacob Elordi, who plays Felix Catton, has also gained a lot of attention since the release of Saltburn. Edits of him have gone viral on TikTok, with scenes of him from the movie. Many people associate Elordi with the song “Never Be Like You” by Flume and Kai, due to a popular edit of him that was posted by the creator “oorsz” to an audio clip of the song. Elordi has gained so much popularity since the movie leading to him hosting Saturday Night Live on January 20th. Businesses have even released candles called “Jacob Elordi Bath Water” after a scene in Saltburn portrayed him taking a bath, although no inappropriate body parts were shown.
With its lively energy and enriching plot twists, Saltburn takes its audience on a thrilling and unforgettable adventure. This intense and interesting movie is a good reminder for everyone that life is short, so seize the moment.
