Warning: Spoilers for Saltburn ahead. Emerald Fennell's second feature film Salt Burn is certainly getting people talking. The film has already earned a reputation as one of the most shocking theater tours of the year. Now streaming on Amazon Prime, it's become one of the boldest choices for family movie night during the holiday season.
Of all the shocks of Saltburn , perhaps the most discussion-provoking moment is the final scene. In a three-minute long single shot, Barry Keoghan's Oliver strips naked and dances around Saltburn Manor, accompanied by Sophie Ellis Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dance Floor" blares.
Think Hugh Grant’s dance in Love Actually , but make it sinister, weird—and very, very naked.
It's an appropriately bold way to end a film that packs a punch both visually and thematically. But naturally it wasn't the symbolism or hidden meaning that got us all talking, it was the nudity.
As one viewer said on Twitter: "I wonder why Salter got credit for the prosthetics. "
Well, fans finally have their answer — and readers, it’s all true.
"After taking a photo, I'm ready to go."
Set in the early 2000s, Thorburn tells the story of Oliver, a young Oxford student who befriends a charismatic classmate, Felix (Jacob Elordi). After receiving an invitation to spend the summer at Saltburn, his family estate, Oliver cunningly infiltrates the family, flirting with Felix's sister Venetia (Alison Oliver), Before leaving, he fascinated his mother Elspeth (played by Pei Chunhua). Kill them one by one and take over their rambling country estate.
As Keoghan told Entertainment Weekly , his nude dance in the final scene was a joyful celebration. "It's ownership," he said, describing the scene. "This is my place. There's this confidence that, 'I can do whatever I want in this estate. I can strip naked and waltz around because this is mine.' Yeah... it's fun." "
He went on to discuss how filming this scene was a bit daunting because, here's the information we've been waiting for, it was all him - no prosthetics.
"The first thing that happened was I had no clothes on. I was kind of, uh," he said. "But after one shot, I was ready. I was like, 'Let's do it again. Let's do it again. You kind of forget because it creates such a comfortable environment and it gives you permission , 'Okay, now it's about the story.'"
What about that grave scene?
Well, the final scene is obviously natural. It turns out that the infamous grave scene where Oliver strips naked and rubs himself against Felix's grave was also filmed without prosthetics.
Why? Well, as the actor told Variety , he actually improvised the entire thing that day.
“Emerald is very good at creating a safe environment,” he said. "Even the tomb scene, I thought, 'Can I have a closed scene? I want to try something. On paper, he wasn't asked to do that. But I wanted to see what was going on. , what actions would I take. I wanted to confuse myself and let my body lead the way. What was I doing? How could I get closer? It was trying to find new levels of obsession."
It's clear that Keoghan was very committed to his role - and based on news about his nude scenes, he really gave us everything.
