A Glean movie guide
Beyond the Gates: Films Like Saltburn
Eat the rich.
Dark satires and psychological thrillers exploring obsession, class, and the ultra-wealthy.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The definitive blueprint for social climbing and identity theft in a sun-drenched, opulent setting.
Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy to bring back his playboy son, Dickie. Ripley worms his way into the idyllic lives of Dickie and his girlfriend, plunging into a daring scheme of duplicity, lies and murder.
- 02
Brideshead Revisited
A lush exploration of obsession and class at a sprawling English estate that served as Saltburn's visual muse.
Befriended by aristocrat Sebastian Flyte, Oxford student Charles Ryder finds that the power and privilege experienced by the family is seductive. On a visit to the ancestral home, Brideshead, he falls in love with his friend's sister, Julia. However, as his ties to the Flytes deepen, Ryder finds himself at odds with their strong Roman Catholicism.
- 03
Parasite
A masterclass in domestic infiltration and the simmering tension of extreme class disparity.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
- 04
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
A cold, clinical thriller where a mysterious outsider systematically dismantles a wealthy family's life.
Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways.
- 05
The Handmaiden
A visually stunning and erotic puzzle of deception, social climbing, and psychological games.
1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sookee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.
- 06
The Riot Club
A visceral look at the hedonism and cruelty found within the most exclusive circles of British university life.
Two first-year students at Oxford University join a secret society and learn that their reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of one evening.
- 07
Promising Young Woman
Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut shares Saltburn’s provocative tone and candy-colored, high-contrast aesthetic.
A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path.
- 08
Teorema
A provocative classic where a mysterious stranger seduces every member of a bourgeois family to devastating effect.
A wealthy Italian household is turned upside down when a handsome stranger arrives, seduces every family member and then disappears. Each has an epiphany of sorts, but none can figure out who the seductive visitor was or why he came.
- 09
The Favourite
A sharp, stylized period piece centered on two cousins ruthlessly competing for power and royal favor.
England, early 18th century. The close relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill is threatened by the arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail Hill, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two cousins to be the Queen's favourite.
- 10
Cruel Intentions
A sleek, cynical drama about wealthy teenagers who treat manipulation and seduction as a high-stakes game.
Slaking a thirst for dangerous games, Kathryn challenges her stepbrother, Sebastian, to deflower their headmaster's daughter before the summer ends. If he succeeds, the prize is the chance to bed Kathryn. But if he loses, Kathryn will claim his most prized possession.
- 11
Match Point
A tense thriller following a social climber who will go to any lengths to secure his place in high society.
Chris, a former tennis pro, takes a job as an instructor and befriends his wealthy young student, Tom. After being introduced to his family, Chris is soon engaged to Tom's sister, Chloe. Despite the professional and financial advantages that this relationship affords him, Chris becomes obsessed with Tom's fiancee, American actress Nola.
- 12
The Menu
A biting dark comedy that traps the ultra-wealthy in a confined, opulent setting for a night of reckoning.
A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.