Did Felix really love Oliver??
Looking back at their relationship in 'Saltburn'
*obviously has spoilers lol*
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Preview:
Excluding the whole- Oliver villain ark thing (not gonna go into details you know what I mean), Emerald Fennel’s 2023 film ‘Saltburn’ explores the unique relationship between Oliver and Felix (and the rest of the Catton family); going into how influential background and status are when it comes to these connections, and how the middle and lower class are treated by the 1%.
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Though in certain scenes it may seem like it, I don’t think Felix truly loved Oliver romantically. Although, Jacob Elordi states that he believed 'Felix truly felt like he loved Oliver'. Their relationship is very up to your own interpretation.
I believe that Felix was naturally heterosexual, almost in a perfunctory way where - he sleeps with a lot of women but the emotional intimacy is reserved for the guys.
Being a natural blue blooded social butterfly, he easily gets a lot of attention. But with most other men it may feel like there is some underlying hostility towards him. Especially since he is at such a sophisticated school surrounded by many similar to him that fit in that environment, Felix is seen by others (especially men) as competition.
Felix reacts to Oliver with this intimacy and connection as a result of Oliver being one of the few guys in his life who seemingly doesn’t want to scrounge off of Felix’s wealth and advances. It creates this immediate closeness, to someone like Felix- a forbidden relationship.
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Despite all this, even if Felix really did love Oliver at all:
Felix didn’t love Oliver half as much as Oliver loved him. When Felix found out Oliver had lied about his troubled background, Felix felt betrayed but in a way quickly moved on to having a good time at the party and even finding a girl to spend most of the night with.
Inevitably,over time Felix would have gotten bored of Oliver because he saw him at the time as mere entertainment. Felix greatly liked Oliver for the reactions that Oliver gave him, and how he made Felix feel he was helping some financially poor person who came from a troubled family (Oliver stating his father had died from an overdose). Similar to how Felix’s family had taken in other needy people, such a Farleigh and Pamela.
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Felix’ family would have eventually gotten bored and brushed Oliver off the same as Felix would have:
As a result of Felix’ background, carefree living and wealth, he treated people like phases he would inevitably get bored of, just to keep him entertained for the time being.
Similarly, Oliver’s trauma and neediness was at the time only sordid entertainment for Felix’s family. This is proven so many times throughout the film. Such as:
Pamela and Elspeth joking about Oliver putting his fingers down his mother’s throat as he stated she supposedly dealt with drug problems.
Felix takes Oliver back to his (believed to be very troubled) family in an attempt to play as the saviour in Oliver’s life.
Another example is Oliver’s extreme sexual advances towards Felix’s sister- Venetia and cousin- Farleigh. Trying to seem dominant and intimidating gave them a thrill in the moment, therefore a form of entertainment.
Oliver really sucked up to them but was let down and humbled at the party when no one even knew his name. Therefore proving how easily Oliver was removed and brushed off from the family and how unimportant he really was in the first place.
Similarly, the Catton family had taken in ‘Poor Dear Pamela’ because of her sad story, hiding from her dangerous ex boyfriend she supposedly met in rehab. Though had overnight quickly been kicked out having ‘overstayed her welcome’, fully knowing that she was on the run from a dangerous man. Later the family learning that she had either been killed or committed suicide, especially demonstrated through the mother’s reaction, showed that the family really cared very little for Pamela and only for their entertainment → acting as ‘saviours’ bringing the 99% into their wealthy carefree lifestyle.
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None of these on Felix’s (or his family’s) part are acts of love (bringing him into his home and making him feel like a part of the family). Oliver was merely a temporary form of entertainment for him. This story just proves the tragedy of falling for a person like Felix, you will never be as important to them as they are to you.
Oliver ‘loved’ Felix because he’s blue blooded, charismatic and unique. To Felix, Oliver was anything but one of a kind, he could have easily come across another struggling scholarship type who represented the ‘real’ struggles of the masses.
Even If Felix did love Oliver at all, inevitably this relationship would have become extremely one sided and eventually (like with Pamela) would have easily brushed Oliver off in the end; because Felix and his family are one of a kind and wanted Oliver for nothing more than their entertainment.
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Thank you for reading The World Wibe Web!!
peace, 𝓲 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾.
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Credit to CitadelOfBears's comment I found under the ‘r/saltburn’ post- “Do you think Felix loved Oliver romantically?”, and FilmSpeak’s youtube video- 'When the director is so f***ing pretentious' that inspired me to look back on this film.