Warning: Contains SPOILERS for SaltburnBarry Keoghan’s role in Saltburn is one of the most memorable of his acting career, but one of his costumes in the movie provides a subtle callback to one of the actor’s earlier, perhaps even more provocative performances. Although he’s only 31, Barry Keoghan has already taken on several challenging parts. In fact, he’s quickly carved out a niche playing unstable, sinister characters, imbuing them with a charisma that’s both beguiling and scary.
This skill is on full display in Emerald Fennell’s twisted black comedy. In Saltburn, Keoghan plays Oliver Quick, a university student who falls under the spell of Jacob Elordi’s captivating Felix Catton. After lying about his family’s circumstances, Oliver is invited to stay at Felix’s Saltburn estate, where he conspires about how he can remain in the house after he’s outstayed his welcome. Given his scheming personality, Keoghan’s Saltburn performance demands the continuation of a career trend that arguably began with his breakout role in another challenging drama. While there is no explicit narrative connection between the two projects, one of Oliver’s costumes suggests a clear thematic link.
Barry Keoghan’s Antlers Are A Killing Of A Sacred Deer Callback
During a party ostensibly held in his honor, Oliver stalks through the background wearing a pair of deer antlers. While there are other reasons behind this costume choice, the use of antlers provides a clear link between Saltburn and another Keoghan project; Yorgo Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer. In that movie, Keoghan plays the similarly unhinged Martin, who forces Colin Farrell to kill a member of his family as revenge for killing Martin’s father on the operating table. Given the similar themes of familial death throughout Saltburn, the callback to The Killing of a Sacred Deer is more than just a coincidence.
Other aspects of Keoghan’s performance also echo the earlier Lanthimos movie. Most obviously, his character in both movies invades a cohesive family unit, leaving havoc in his wake. Additionally, both films explore the idea of justice and fate, albeit from very different angles. While Lanthimos’ film is a very clear analogy for action and consequence, Saltburn discusses how society’s notions around inherited wealth play into a wider discussion of class and identity. However, despite these slight differences, the films’ similarities are reinforced by Keoghan’s very pointed deer costume.
What Barry Keoghan’s Saltburn Antlers Really Mean
As in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the deer metaphor in Saltburn has multiple meanings. Most obviously, it’s a reference to the wider Midsummer Night’s Dream theme of Oliver’s birthday party, which is itself a play about transformation, deception, and multiple identities. Oliver’s deer persona also identifies him as a prey animal, surrounded by vicious predators that circle and mock him. However, with his horns, he also reveals another side to himself – something more dangerous.
Saltburn Ending Explained: What Really Happened To Felix
The ending of Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn is built on a web of lies spun by Oliver Quick and reveals the twisted layers of his obsession with Felix.
The appearance of Oliver’s horns not only makes him seem slightly satanic, but also ties him into one of Saltburn‘s many inspirations – the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. In mythology, the horned Minotaur lay waiting in a labyrinth, killing any princes who came to challenge it. Considering that this is exactly what Oliver does to Felix (in the center of a maze, no less), it’s clear that the horns serve both a symbolic and practical purpose. Not only do they establish a connection with Lanthimos’ movie, but they add a layer of complexity to Oliver’s character with multiple potential meanings.
Saltburn
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Director
- Emerald Fennell
- Cast
- Barry Keoghan , Jacob Elordi , Rosamund Pike , Richard E. Grant , Alison Oliver , Archie Madekwe , Carey Mulligan
- Runtime
- 131 Minutes
- Genres
- Comedy , Thriller
