Writer-director Emerald Fennell wants you to gasp and gag in her pitch-black sick comedy Saltburn.

Is it worth the watch for the easily offended? Yes — if you think you can stomach sexual perversion in order to get a glimpse of Saltburn’s searing cinematography, thanks to Oscar-winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren.

But it’s not just the film’s gorgeous visual treatment that makes Saltburn worth the watch. The dark comedy works, too, thanks to its sharply funny moments and lines — and the top-notch performances, especially from Rosamund Pike.

Despite its disturbing elements, Saltburn is still an absorbing piece of cinema as its depiction of depravity is balanced by the film’s staggering beauty.

Shot in 35mm film, and switching between jaw-dropping ultra-wide and ultra-tight shots and boxy aspect ratio, Saltburn invites viewers to peek into the machinations of a sociopath, Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan in his most controversial role to date), who “penetrates” the world of the aristocrats.

Oliver Quick of Oxford, snubbed for being a “scholarship boy,” is a quick-witted liar who falls in lust with upper-cruster Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi).

Fennell wastes no time in establishing this unhealthy obsession through a voice-over narration, with Oliver declaring, “I loved him. I loved him. I loved him. But was I ‘in love’ with him?”

Such is the hook of the film. We know right from the get-go that our central character is not normal. Fennell immediately establishes an unsettling feeling that Oliver’s limerence toward this pretty-boy moneyed male classmate of his is not “harmless.”

And there’s more to his infatuation than mere physical attraction. The depths of his crazy crush is further revealed when Oliver is “adopted” by his object of desire for the summer.

Our thrill and curiosity build up when we accompany Oliver to Saltburn, Felix’s sprawling Baroque-style country estate. Along with Oliver, we get exclusive access to the lives of the ultra-rich and their expected weirdness.

Will Oliver fit in? Will he win the hearts of Felix’s family — his mother (Pike), father (Richard E. Grant) and sister Venetia (Alison Oliver), even the butler, Duncan (Paul Rhys) — and survive their unspoken scrutiny of his troubled upbringing?

Most importantly, what will Oliver do about his creepy obsession toward Felix now that he has infiltrated his home?

Fennell, whose directorial debut Promising Young Woman won Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards, utilizes themes on class, wealth, privilege, manipulation and obsession, to showcase her brand of “shock art.” Fennell uses Oliver’s toxic “love” and sociopathic behavior to justify her carefully designed scenes of sexual perversion clearly meant to test mainstream tastes.

Saltburn is obviously meant to provoke. Since the plot is nothing new, it is chiefly an exercise in technical craft. In fact, the story is quite predictable.

Nevertheless, it has an earnestness to it — to paint a picture of the bourgeoisie, as represented by Oliver, and the fascination of this class toward the obscenely rich.

This would not have worked if it weren’t, again, for the genius cinematography of Sandgren, who managed to fulfill Fennell’s vision of combining the monstrous and the beautiful. Mixing natural light and conjuring cinematography magic, every inch of this movie takes the breath away and enhances the film’s dark themes.

The look harks back to old, classic films in their pure celluloid glory, making this a truly a visual feast. The eye-candy look of Saltburn is not just for the audience’s delight, but to also evoke undercurrents of sinister, eeriness and drama. It is lensed in a way that will lure us into the world of the filthy rich — but also to keep us in a safe distance like a mere observer.

Fennell’s characters are thankfully not cardboard cutouts. Pike’s Lady Elspeth is the best of the bunch. As the matriarch, Pike nails the required cluelessness, feigned concern, pain and snobbery that her character requires.

Grant, as the father, is equally delightful as the eccentric man of the house. Everybody played their part with entertaining nuances, including Carey Mulligan as family friend Pamela, who is hilarious in an understated fashion.

In the vein of White Lotus, and other shows that dissect the privileged class, Saltburn manages to engage you. It is easy for an artist like Fennell to use the world of the aristocrats as a playground for creative expression, and she just let her dark imagination run wild in this one.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Stream on Amazon Prime