First of all, if you haven’t seen Saltburn go see it.
The movie is centred around Oliver, a social outcast who is obsessed with Felix, a charismatic guy from a family with wealth that warrants an estate as extensive and otherworldly as Saltburn. To put it in perspective, the dude lives in a fucking castle. In this classic “eat the rich” movie, the rich consists of a family of eclectic personalities, each with their own sets of vulnerabilities and ripe for the picking for one wolf in sheep’s clothing, Oliver Quick.
Though the film consists of many well written characters with much more screen time and relevance to the plot, Venetia is the most underrated. Although she appears like a ditzy and playful rich girl, she is as multidimensional as the rest and ultimately nails Oliver’s character to a T. At least that’s my opinion and by the end of this, it’ll be yours. Kidding, but not really…
We first see her appear in the scene where the family is gathered gossiping and gabbing while Oliver is making his way over after settling into Saltburn. She is in the room just outside, reading a book. When Oliver enters said room, amidst the background noise of the family talking about him, she stares at him inquisitively and chuckles, then leans forward curiously as he departs. A stranger in her home doesn’t phase her which indicates that this is a commonality amongst her family and she chuckles as if to say “I wonder what amusement will unfold with this one”. From this scene, although brief, one can gander that Venetia instantly buys into Oliver’s harmless facade. She’s more interested in how her family might impact Oliver than the latter. This is fair as Oliver has not given any reason for doubt and he looks like a naive lost puppy. It’s significant to note that she is separate from the family but can eavesdrop on what’s going on. In a house so big, why choose the one right outside but not in? It’s as if she takes on more of a spectator role, a role that is oftentimes lonely. Throughout the film, she doesn’t feed into the drama and can more so be described as curious or nosy, either or. Well curiosity killed the cat as she is ultimately Oliver’s first target for manipulation.
The next instance we see Venetia is when she’s hanging around the courtyard at night smoking a cigarette in solitude. Maybe she’s one of those super deep people who stare at the moon and introspect or some bullshit like that, or maybe she just needed a smoke. I personally think the latter. Anywho, Oliver sees this as an opportunity to start spinning his web. Oliver approaches her and startles her, indicating she wasn’t intentionally trying to get his attention. She then goes on to point out the moon and its fullness and jokes about how they’re all going to lose their minds. Is she being playful or is there some truth behind it? Who’s to say, but she definitely wanted to toy with him a bit with that comment, freak him out potentially. Oliver then offers her his blanket and she remarks that she’s cold blooded, her whole family is cold blooded, a commentary on the lack of empathy and coldness that the rich stereotypically display. Oliver expresses that he doesn’t think they’re coldblooded due to their kindness which is giving naivety. The act of checking up on her, giving her the blanket, and his kind comments ultimately piques Venetia’s interest as he gives her the attention she craves. She may also presume he is naive. Further driving Venetia to buy into his sweet and innocent guise.
Side note: it’s interesting that during a confrontation between Felix and Oliver, Felix says “you make my blood run cold” to Oliver, though in a different context (more like “you’re a sociopathic weirdo” than just cold hearted… though they’re not mutually exclusive), ironically it is Oliver that’s the cold blooded one.
As a multidimensional being, Venetia has her own set of deep rooted issues. Having a mother who is judgemental, insensitive, and makes seemingly innocent jabs all the time, evident by her treatment of Pamela, it is not the least bit surprising that Venetia has an eating disorder. Oliver manages to get this sensitive bit of information free of charge from her own mother nonetheless. He uses this information to manipulate and gain power over her. First he has to win her trust on a deeper level which he does via the vampire scene.
Diving into the aforementioned scene, Venetia is seen parading outside then sitting under Oliver’s window in an alleged sheer nightdress. When Oliver comes out he manages to roll with the punches and charms her successfully. Venetia still thinks she’s in control as she cast the first stone, that’s short-lived the second Oliver brings up that she’s not eating or keeping the food down. In that exact moment, you can see the vulnerability and agitation appear in her eyes. Oliver now has the power. He then commands her to keep the food down while weaving in false niceties that make her believe it’s all coming from a place of care and concern. Even though what he’s saying is obviously fucked up, Venetia feels as though he genuinely cares about her and wants to help in some way probably due to the fact that her own parents are aware of her struggles, yet brush it off as a phase she’ll get over (we love the classic “it’s a phase” line). What really seals the deal is what happens after. Oliver goes down on her while she’s on her period, again another instance where a woman may feel the most exposed. At this point Oliver shows that he desires and cares about her in these moments of extreme vulnerability. Venetia is hooked and you can’t really blame her, Oliver is a mastermind preying on his target’s insecurities.
At breakfast the day after Venetia is seen eating breakfast and they have some mutual understanding that she’ll try to overcome her bulimia. Oliver then does one of the most sadistic things in the entire movie. He pushes a croissant over to her. One might initially think for maybe a split second (if even) that he cares about her, but for someone who mentally just can’t keep food down, adding more food makes it abundantly harder to resist purging. Unrelated to Venetia, but this action further solidifies that Oliver’s overarching intentions are more sinister than meets the eye. Ultimately the task proves to be too much for Venetia to handle and we see her succumb and walk away from the table.
Later on Venetia tries to get Oliver’s attention again by lurking under his window in a sparkly blue dress (hot). Thankfully Farleigh snitched on their escapade which makes Felix warn Oliver off Venetia. This rejection is pivotal because Venetia now loses respect for Oliver and has more capacity to see him for who he truly is (ooglay). At the Henry dinner Venetia says “Felix warned you off then” to Oliver and he tries to keep that door open by saying “Well, maybe we just need to be a bit more careful” which she shuts down instantly. Oliver notices she’s upset to which she says she’s disappointed but used to it and knows that Oliver is just another one of Felix’s toys. Although Venetia does want that attention and has the innate need to be loved, she knows when it’s no longer worth her time which is commendable. Rejection doesn’t feel good for sure, but other than being a little disappointed she takes it like a champ and closes that chapter.
Reflecting on the instances in which we see Venetia, she is usually isolated from the others and while she obviously has wealth and material things, she is severely lacking in the emotional needs department. Although she has a hyper independent carefree exterior, deep down she is a very lonely person who craves to be seen and loved, making it easy for anyone who gives her the time of day to win her affections. Oliver isn’t even the first instance of her intermingling with one of Felix’s friends so it’s a habit of hers to easily entertain male attention. It makes sense though, her family is all caught up in their own drama and though her parents may love her at whatever capacity they are able to, they don’t show it in a way that’s nurturing or effective. The only person who she probably depends on or feels love from would be Felix and when he dies she’s devastated. Everyone grieves in different ways but Venetia is completely dissociated from reality, Felix was definitely her person.
The most defining scene where you realize Venetia is smart as fuck and extremely perceptive is the one where she’s in the bathtub and Oliver comes around. “Your politeness is grating” she says, Venetia has shed the impression that Oliver is a sweet guy and is irritated at his pseudo subservient demeanour. She’s clearly aware of Oliver’s obsession with Felix as she comments on him being absurdly affected by Felix’s death while only knowing him for six months. “You have nothing to do with him, with us, with here, Nothing at all. You’re just a stranger. Yet here you are right in the middle of it all. Stranger fucking danger”. That and the fact that he’s wearing Felix’s aftershave. “I bet you’re also wearing his underwear”. She goes on to rip him to shreds by saying one of the most iconic monologues in the film “I think you’re a moth. Quiet, harmless, drawn to shiny things. Banging up against the window, just desperate to get in. Well, you’ve done it now. You’ve made your holes in everything. You’ll eat us from the inside out”. Basically saying Oliver’s just obsessed with the lifestyle i.e “shiny things” and although seemingly harmless brought to life by his incessant lying and projection of a helpless image, uses this to get inside and manipulate and ultimately destroy the family bit by bit. It’s too late though because Venetia ultimately takes this opinion with her to the grave. Her death is open for interpretation either in her fragile state, Oliver was able to nudge her over the edge to commit suicide or Oliver just did it and set it up.
Personally I think Oliver killed Venetia and set it up to look like a suicide. There was just so much blood on the ground around the bathtub and leading out to Oliver’s room indicating a potential struggle. Additionally, although she was shaken by Felix’s death, she didn’t seem suicidal because however important Felix was to her, it wasn’t like Felix was the only thing in her life worth living for. Sure she had her issues, but she never struck me as an absurdist. Who’s to really know for sure. Had Venetia lived, I truly believe that Oliver would not have gotten away with the rest of the murders and could even have been caught for Felix’s death.
Venetia is more than meets the eye. On top of being a badass with cool makeup and a flashy sense of style, she has a lot of depth and vulnerability, all the while being extremely perceptive and intuitive. Hence why she’s fucking goated.
