"Saltburn" on Amazon [View all]

Oliver Quick, an earnest Oxford-scholarship boy at his first term is befriended by a charismatic wealthy student, leading to a memorable summer at Saltburn, the posh fellow's gigantic family estate. What starts out as a wickedly funny commentary on the craziness of England's elite evolves half-way through into a stylish thriller reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

The shift is a little jarring, beginning with Oliver ordering an egg over-easy, but the movie holds your attention with sumptuous imagery, a brilliant cast -- including Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, and Richard E. Grant -- and the mesmerizing performance of Barry Keoghan, the scene-stealer from The Banshees of Inisherin. Keoghan's face seems endlessly malleable, and his acting is carefully nuanced yet disturbingly fearless. If you like great acting, and don't mind a lot of cringing, or plot holes you could drive a lorry through, Saltburn is recommended.