Saltburn Parents Guide

Saltburn is a 2023 psychological thriller directed by Emerald Fennell that has received an R rating for its mature content. 

Set at Oxford University, the film centers around the dark obsession that Oliver (Barry Keoghan) develops with his classmate Felix (Jacob Elordi). As their friendship deepens, the lines between camaraderie and romance blur, leading to reckless behavior and dire consequences.

The R rating is due to strong sexual content including graphic nudity, depictions of manipulation, language, some disturbing violent images, and drug use. Given its adult themes and shocking moments, Saltburn provides an unfiltered look at relationships and morality that may be too much for younger viewers.

Parents should be aware that the complex, flawed characters make risky choices involving sex, drugs, and disastrous codependent relationships before deciding if their teens are ready to see Saltburn. The R rating strongly cautions that those under 17 should see it only with a parent or guardian.

Adult Themes

Saltburn explores several mature themes that parents should be aware of before allowing their teens to view the film. One of the main themes is manipulation and moral corruption. 

The relationship between Oliver and Felix blurs the lines between friendship and romance, and also highlights issues of power dynamics.

Felix uses his charm and status to manipulate Oliver into increasingly reckless behavior with dangerous consequences. He pushes the boundaries of what Oliver is willing to do in the name of exploring their hedonistic philosophy. The theme of losing one's innocence is explored through Oliver's arc from naive student to someone caught up in Felix's web of moral corruption.

The film also touches on issues of blurred lines and power imbalances in relationships. Felix abuses his position of power and privilege to take advantage of Oliver's lower social standing and desire for connection. Their relationship explores gray areas of consent and morality through this uneven dynamic.

Overall, the adult themes require maturity to fully process, especially for younger viewers. Parents should be prepared to discuss issues like manipulation, corruption, and recklessness if they allow their teens to see Saltburn.

Sex and Nudity

Saltburn features several highly graphic and extended sex scenes, including full frontal male and female nudity. Some of the scenes depict manipulation or blurred lines of consent between the obsessive main character Oliver and his love interest Felix.

In an early scene, Oliver and Felix are shown naked in bed, with Felix performing oral sex on Oliver. While the scene is consensual, it highlights the growing unhealthy dynamic in their relationship, as Felix previously rejected Oliver's advances.

The most graphic scene involves Oliver and Felix having vigorous, standing sex in a library stacks. Both actors are fully nude, with close-up shots on their bodies and faces during the act. The scene highlights the reckless and dangerous nature of their physical relationship.

There is also a scene of Felix having sex while on his period, confronting a taboo topic. Felix is shown nude from behind, with blood visible between her legs. The scene depicts the vulnerability and rawness of their connection.

Violence

Saltburn contains some disturbingly violent scenes that parents should know about. There are a few intense fights, including one where a student gets beaten with a cricket bat. 

In another scene, Oliver stabs Felix's hand with a fork at dinner resulting in bloody injury. The movie also shows Felix getting shoved and hitting his head hard on a brick wall at one point. According to IMDb's Parents Guide, there is some blood depicted from nosebleeds and head wounds.

While the violence is at times graphic, it mainly serves to portray the dark descent of the characters and escalating tensions, rather than being gratuitous. The violent acts come from an emotional place and represent the complex relationship between Felix and Oliver. Parents should know the violence is connected to the mature themes of the story, rather than existing for pure shock value.

Drug Use

The college-aged characters in Saltburn frequently use alcohol and recreational drugs like marijuana and cocaine. As psychology students at Oxford, they have access to various substances. 

Several scenes depict the students smoking marijuana or doing lines of cocaine at parties. There is also underage drinking throughout the film, including a scene where students take shots at a pub.

The drug and alcohol use impacts the characters' decision-making and behavior. For example, Felix mixes prescription pills with alcohol before making questionable choices. Likewise, Oliver smokes marijuana while obsessing over Felix. The substance use leads to poor judgement and loss of inhibitions.

However, the film does not glamorize or show positive consequences of the drug use. Instead, it focuses on how relying on substances contributes to the characters' downfalls. 

They use drugs and alcohol to cope with stress or rebel against authority figures. But their substance use ultimately adds to their problems rather than helping them.

Language

There is strong, coarse language throughout Saltburn. While the frequency of profanity common in many R-rated films, some viewers and parents may find the harshness of the language used off-putting at times.

The f-word is used frequently in both its sexual and non-sexual forms. Other common profanities include variations of "shit", "asshole", "dick", and "bitch". There are also occasional uses of racial slurs and sexually crude references.

Some of the harshest language comes during scenes depicting heated arguments between students, where multiple f-bombs and insults like "c*nt" are used back-to-back. Felix in particular has a crude vernacular that includes calling women "sl*ts" and "wh*res" at several points when angry or defensive.

While the profanity does realistically reflect how some college-aged individuals speak, the pervasiveness of vulgar and demeaning terminology may be off-putting or inappropriate for some younger viewers. Parents should be aware of the raw nature of the dialogue throughout Saltburn.

For reference, the film has an R rating specifically for "pervasive language." The amount and severity of profanity makes this mature content an important consideration for screening.

As cited from Rotten Tomatoes, Saltburn's R rating encompasses "Language Throughout" among other mature elements.

Comparisons to Other Teen Movies

While Saltburn features high school aged characters, its mature themes and explicit content make it quite different from typical PG-13 teen movies. 

There is much more graphic sexuality and nudity compared to films like Mean Girls or The Fault in Our Stars. Parents should not assume Saltburn is appropriate for young teens just because the protagonists are in high school.

That said, Saltburn is not quite as shocking or extreme as intentionally controversial art films like Kids or Ken Park. The sex and violence largely stem from the character motivations and advance the plot, rather than existing for pure shock value. 

And while flawed, the protagonists are relatable and complex, not simply amoral caricatures. Their poor choices feel understandable given their age and circumstances, making it easier to empathize even when they behave badly.

Overall, Saltburn falls somewhere between mainstream Hollywood teen films and ultra-indie art films in terms of its mature content. Parents should be prepared for much more than a PG-13 movie, but it does not go to the disturbing extremes of some NC-17 indie films.

Critical and Parent Reception

Overall, Saltburn has received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the film's raw performances and nuanced examination of morality and power. However, some parents have raised concerns about the explicit content being inappropriate for younger audiences.

While reviewers highlight the quality of the filmmaking and acting, there is debate around whether the graphic sex scenes and dark themes outweigh any positive messages about friendship and manipulation. As Brian Tallerico writes for RogerEbert.com, "The danger of Saltburn is that some of its uglier moments could be too much for sensitive teens even as they should be learning the lessons it teaches."

Many parents agree the complex R-rated content requires maturity to fully process. As one mom wrote on Common Sense Media, "This is in no way a movie for someone under 16. There should be a rating above R for this film." While thoughtful guidance could make it a valuable watch for older teens, parents argue younger audiences may focus only on the shock value.

Ultimately, Saltburn sparks an important debate around the artistic merits of pushing boundaries versus the responsibility of considering adolescent psychological development. Parents looking to make informed decisions should weigh their child's individual maturity rather than relying solely on age ratings.

The Bottom Line for Parents

Overall, many reviewers and parents recommend a minimum age of at least 16 or 17 for Saltburn, with higher sensitivity or maturity likely needed to process some of the challenging content. 

The movie's R rating is warranted, so parental guidance and monitoring is highly recommended if letting teens under 17 view it. Parents should consider pre-screening the film to determine their comfort level.

For younger teens or those not ready for graphic content, parents may want to steer them toward less explicit options like To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Everything Everything, The Edge of Seventeen, or Spiderman: Homecoming.

Though Saltburn has artistic merit, its mature themes like manipulation, blurred romantic boundaries, and recklessness mean it requires a certain level of emotional intelligence to digest properly. There are several graphic scenes involving nudity, substance use, and violence which also necessitates guidance. 

Parents know their child best - some mature 15-16 year olds may be able to thoughtfully discuss the themes with parental involvement, while for others it may be preferable to wait. Check in with your teen during and after the film about their takeaways and emotions.

If prohibiting the film, explain your concerns and offer alternate options that don’t require compromising your values as a parent. Saltburn may warrant revisiting when your teen is older and better equipped to process the complex issues involved. 

Use its release as a jumping off point for ongoing conversations about relationships, decision-making, and media literacy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Saltburn is a psychologically intense coming-of-age thriller that contains very mature content. The main adult themes explored are manipulation in relationships, moral corruption of youth, reckless behavior and its consequences, and the loss of innocence. 

Parents should be aware the film includes graphic sex scenes involving nudity, themes of sexual manipulation, disturbing violence, recreational drug use, and pervasive strong language.

While Saltburn provides an impactful portrayal of flawed characters, it is too mature for pre-teens and younger teens. The film requires a high level of emotional maturity to process the adult themes appropriately. 

Parents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the content before deciding if their teen is ready. Those not comfortable with the level of sex, violence and language would be wise to choose an alternate movie.

Resources like Common Sense Media and the Center for Parent and Teen Communication can help parents make informed decisions about media for their teens based on content ratings, maturity levels, and age recommendations. 

Having open conversations with teens about difficult themes in media is also beneficial. With guidance, movies like Saltburn can help expand perspectives. But parents are still encouraged to trust their judgement on appropriateness for each child.