Saltburn's Bathtub & Grave Scenes Explained: The Real Meaning Of What Oliver Did (2024)

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Saltburn.

Saltburn is a black comedy psychological drama with a lot of shocking scenes, but they all play a crucial role in the film and aren't there just for shock value, including the bathtub and the grave scenes. Saltburn is a slow-burn movie filled with tension-building moments, many twists and turns, offering beautiful visuals, but also surprisingly shocking sequences. Aside from its many violent deaths in Saltburn, the film has deeper meanings than it lets on, especially for some of the most controversial scenes, which led to many online theories.

Saltburn comes from writer-director Emerald Fennell of Promising Young Woman fame, and it's a movie that delves into many dark themes, including desire, wealth, and obsession. It follows Oliver Quick, played by Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer), who is initially portrayed as an outcast student at Oxford University. However, things take a different turn when his friend, Felix, played by Jacob Elordi (Euphoria), invites him to his family's estate called Saltburn. Many scenes bring out many uncomfortable emotions and the film's appeal is that it leads to different interpretations, quickly becoming one of the most talked about movies of 2023 after its release.

Saltburn's Bath Scene Is About Oliver's Desire & Passion For Felix (& His Power)

There is a reason why Oliver was interested in Felix

Oliver drinking Felix's bathwater as the bath drains is the first of many shocking scenes of Saltburn, but it has a deeper meaning for him. Ever since he first saw him at Oxford, Felix had proven to be popular, charming, friendly -- everything Oliver wanted to be. Early on, viewers noted how upset Oliver was when Felix tried to drop him as a friend, and started stalking him to see where he was, and then went to him to tell him that his father had died. Although that was a lie, it was also his way back to Felix, who later invited him to his estate at Saltburn for the summer.

The film begins with Oliver talking about the fact that he loves Felix, and the bath scene proves that. Although it's scandalous and controversial, Oliver spying on Felix pleasuring himself in the bathtub proved just how much Oliver wanted him. Oliver drinking the bathwater as it drained showed how far his desire and passion for Felix went, but also that his obsession knew no limits. Although he didn't specifically make a move on him, he lurked in the dark, hoping Felix would notice him, which never happened. In Saltburn's ending, Oliver tells an unconscious Elsbeth about his love for Felix, but also his hate for him and the family.

Oliver Having Sex With Felix's Grave Is A Representation Of Grief (& Obsession)

It said more about the character than most of the scenes

Another one of Oliver's deeply disturbing scenes was the moment he had sex with Felix's grave. However, as bizarre and out-of-nowhere as the scene was, it was a representation of Oliver's grief, and also of his obsession. The moment happened right after Felix's burial, and Oliver stayed behind at his grave after the Catton family left. The scene was very explicit and unexpected, which is how Oliver was feeling at that moment, as he lost himself in grief and obsession.

Despite Oliver killing Felix and admitting to hating him in the film's final minutes, there were many moments when his feelings for the charming Catton were genuine. During the bizarre scene, he was also sobbing loudly, showing that he had no idea how to process grief. The film proved several times that Oliver didn't know how to handle his desires and emotions, and his grief couldn't have been any different. Oliver's despair made him behave in unthinkable ways that were very fitting for who he was and highlighted his obsession with Felix.

Saltburn Wouldn't Have Worked Without Its Bath & Grave Scenes

As shocking and controversial as those two moments are, Saltburn wouldn't have worked without the bathtub and grave scenes. The twisted moments proved who Oliver Quick really was. Both in the bathtub scene and the grave scene he was all alone, and he wasn't acting or trying to be charming to convince someone else, but he did those things for his own benefit. The two showed who the character truly was behind closed doors: someone who would stop at nothing when he was passionate about something.

The film would've worked just as well without those scenes, as they don't impact the plot, but they're vital for Oliver's character. Despite the shock value of putting such scenes in a film, it was those two moments, as well as the "vampire" scene with Venetia that got people to talk about the film, and they were what made it even so interesting and original. Despite its initial shock value, it's the multiple interpretations and hidden meanings of the disturbing scenes that made Saltburn one of the most discussed films since its release.