Movie review
November 16, 2023 · 131 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Saltburn is a 2023 dark comedy thriller in which Oxford scholarship student Oliver Quick becomes obsessively fixated on charismatic aristocrat Felix Catton and is invited to spend the summer at the family’s sprawling estate. The story unfolds as a psychological tale of desire, manipulation, class tension, and shocking twists. Queer identity and transgressive same-sex desire are prominently featured and drive key character arcs and explicit scenes.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Saltburn.
Woke representation / casting
Noticeable queer character elements and biracial supporting role in white aristocratic family.
Woke political dialogue
Class commentary present without activist identity speeches.
Identity-driven story themes
Queer desire and identity central to protagonist’s obsessive arcs per director.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Satire targets wealthy class excess without modern systemic identity framing.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Limited backlash on queer elements; primary debate on class portrayal.
Creator track record context
Director’s Promising Young Woman featured strong feminist identity themes.
