‘Saltburn’s Instantly Infamous Bathtub Scene Is Going Viral On TikTok — But Is It Really That Shocking?

Saltburn is streaming on Amazon Prime today, which means quite a few people will be watching the Saltburn bathtub scene for the first time. In the month since the film opened in theaters, the scene has become infamous on TikTok, which is full of reaction videos of shocked faces, mimed vomiting, and outrage. Rumors of theater goers walking out in disgust began bubbling up on Twitter. My own theater reacted with dramatic gasps, nervous laughter, and disapproving titters. To all this I say: Calm down, straight people. Release your death grip on those pearls. The Saltburn bath scene is not that shocking!

If you’re still uninitiated, here’s what you’ll see when you get to the tub scene in Saltburn. (Or, let’s be real, when you scrub forward and watch it ASAP.) Barry Keoghan plays a nerdy, quiet, low-income Oxford University student named Oliver, who has spent a year lusting after his rich, attractive, and popular friend, Felix (played by  Jacob Elordi). After tragedy strikes in Oliver’s family, Felix invites his pitiful buddy to spend the summer with him at his family’s sprawling, lavish estate. And it just so happens that the guest bedroom where Oliver stays shares a bathroom with Felix’s room.

One fateful day, Oliver spies Felix masturbating in the ornate, clawed-foot bathtub. Rather than tactfully giving his friend some privacy, Oliver lingers to watch—you know, like bros do. Sweat and bath water drip down Jacob Elordi’s bulging neck tendon, as he methodically works himself. It’s pretty tame—there’s no below-the-belt nudity or anything—but it’s what follows that has the internet all worked up. Because after Elordi has finished pleasuring himself and left the room, Barry Keoghan sinks to his knees in that tub and slurps up the remains of his buddy’s semen.

At first, when Oliver climbs into the draining tub—fully clothed in his borrowed PJs—you think maybe he just wants a whiff. Then he positions his face right next to the draining, sticks out his tongue, and licks. And then, well, he full-on guzzles.

Writer/director Emerald Fennell no doubt did intend to surprise, and maybe even scandalize, audiences with this scene. But it’s not like she invented the concept of come-guzzling out of thin air. It’s a nod to the queer community and the kink community. More than that, it serves a thematic purpose: Oliver’s desire to consume Felix in every way possible is on full display in this scene. It’s not love, it’s obsession. He wants to swallow Felix whole, dirty bath water and all.

Anyone who’s watched the entire film knows that the grave scene is far more filthy, perverted, and taboo than the tub scene. This? This is barely a step up from shower sex! I don’t see folks up in arms over all the heterosexual shower blowjobs in Lifetime movies. If the Saltburn bathtub scene was too much for you to handle, I can only assume that you’re either old, or straight, or both. You might consider broadening your horizons a bit. It’s 2023! Watch some gay porn! Spice up your life! Live a little! At the very least, keep your scandalized reactions to yourself while Barry Keoghan is swallowing jizz on screen. Show a little respect.