Rosebush Pruning ★★

Released: 10 July 2026

Director: Karin Ainouz

Starring: Callum Turner, Jamie Bell, Pamela Anderson, Elle Fanning

It has only been a mere few years since Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn sent shockwaves to many an audience, becoming the hot topic of every discussion. Families at home watching were either enthralled or mortified upon viewing. Lush even brought out a bath bomb. Things got that deep. Now, Karin Ainouz is here to attempt to regenerate that shock value to a whole new level with his latest film, the dark and absurdist satire, Rosebush Pruning.

Based on the novel Fists in the Pocket by Marco Bellocchio, Rosebush Pruning is like Saltburn’s horny sister. Narrated by Ed (Callum Turner), the film centres around the lives of four horrendously dysfunctional siblings now residing in Spain alongside their blind, egotistic father, following the death of their mother two years prior. Chaos erotically erupts when Jack (Jamie Bell), the most normal and grounded sibling, is looking to step away from the drama of his family and buy a house with his girlfriend Martha (Elle Fanning). Jack is supported by his mother (Pamela Anderson) who shockingly didn’t get eaten by wolves like their father told them, but instead made her escape to start a new life away from all of her money obsessed children. When Ed finds out, he creates a plan to kill off all his siblings to allow Jack to lead the normal life he deserves – one that does not involve any incest family activities.

Did we need another expose of family wealth and social status? Or how in a cost of living crisis we have much bigger things to spend the day crying about than not getting your hands on the designer bag you wanted. Absolutely not. If anything, it tries hard to be different to its predecessors such as the television shows Succession and The White Lotus, and arguably wants to capture the same breakout success that Saltburn achieved. Efthimis Filippou’s screenplay lacks the emotional value and depth required to truly understand these characters and their motives. Instead, it comes across simply as being only superficial which isn’t helped by its tight 1 hour 36 min runtime.

However, Hélène Louvart’s cinematography is the star of the show. From the film’s opening showcasing the crystal blue stillness of the ocean, to Ed’s ruby red roses in the garden, the vividness and richness in colour emphasises the type of people that Rosebush Pruning is portraying. The music element is also pretty evasive, in a complimentary way. While its narrative lacks depth, the soundtrack allows the film to have some moments where it all makes sense.

Rosebush Pruning is wild, in a way that you will be scratching your head questioning if you’re enjoying the film or not. Films with a shorter timestamp are only ever done right when their narrative is tight, sadly this is one of the film’s biggest let downs. It’s dramatic, but only in an arthouse way and sometimes that doesn’t always work.