Inside ‘Saltburn’s’ Naked Dance Scene: Why a U.K. Club Anthem Hit the Perfect Note for Barry Keoghan’s Moves

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for “Saltburn.” Singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor was already a fan of Emerald Fennell when she was approached about the use of her 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” in “Saltburn.” “I loved ‘Promising Young Woman,’” Ellis-Bextor says.

But what really sold it to her was the pitch: “A naked man dancing through the rooms of a stately home…I’ve got a quirky sense of humor, and my main thing was, ‘I’ve got to see that.’” Set in 2006, Oliver is a student at Oxford University who becomes dangerously obsessed with the suave and good-looking aristocratic classmate Felix, played by Jacob Elordi.

When Felix invites him to spend the summer at his family’s estate Saltburn, things slowly take a turn as it is revealed that Oliver has been lying the entire time about his background and family.

When Felix threatens to expose him, Oliver turns things into a family tragedy for the Cattons, killing them, one by one. The song ends the film that sees Barry Keoghan’s Oliver Quick staking his claim on the Catton Family’s estate after orchestrating a series of events that lead to their deaths, by dancing naked through the house. “I just love that song so much,” Fennell says. “It was the only song that seemed fitting to tie the end of the film together.” Fennell called on choreographer Polly Bennett to work with Keoghan on his body movement, and cinematographer Linus Sandgren framed the scene in a single shot following Oliver, who is having this post-coital and euphoric moment of joy. “It’s a dark, twisted and witty ride,” says Ellis-Bextor of the plot.