After Yellowstone, Kelly Reilly ventured into even more dangerous dark territory.
After portraying Beth Dutton as a tough and violent character in Yellowstone Kelly Reilly continues to send chills down audiences’ spines with her leading role in Under Salt Marsh– The new psychological thriller has just released its trailer and immediately creates a heavy sense of unease.
If Yellowstone is a power struggle between humans, then Under Salt Marsh is a silent battle between memories, guilt, and buried secrets that refuse to die.
A world where everything is rotten.
Under Salt Marsh is set in a frigid coastal swamp where the ebb and flow of the tides not only bring in saltwater, but also unseen truths hidden for years. Kelly Reilly’s character is a woman forced to return to her hometown after a family tragedy, and from the moment she sets foot on this land, her past begins to grip her.
The trailer reveals a gloomy setting where every glance carries suspicion, every silence feels like a threat. There’s no ostentatious gore, but the sense of danger permeates every frame.
Kelly Reilly and the types of roles she plays best.
Kelly Reilly’s role in Under Salt Marsh shows her continued fidelity to her signature character archetype: a woman who is outwardly strong but inwardly worn down. However, unlike Beth Dutton, who always fiercely retaliated, this character is held back and suffocated by memories and guilt that have never been resolved.
It is precisely this restraint that makes the role even more terrifying. Reilly doesn’t need to scream. His eyes, his breath, and the tension in his every movement are enough to convey the feeling of someone slowly losing control.
Rafe Spall and the toxic relationship
Opposite Reilly is Rafe Spall, playing a character inextricably linked to her dark past. The trailer doesn’t explicitly state the nature of their relationship, but every frame hints at a toxic bond where feelings, hatred, and secrets intertwine into something inseparable.
The interaction between the two characters is breathtaking, like a tightly stretched rope that no one is strong enough to cut.
Why does Under Salt Marsh make viewers uneasy?
The most terrifying aspect of Under Salt Marsh isn’t the action, but the feeling of inescapable danger. The swamp, fog, tides, and narrow paths create a space where the characters—and the viewers—always feel watched.
The film is reminiscent of heavy British psychological thrillers, where the crime doesn’t need to be witnessed directly, but is present through glances, hesitant words, and long, suffocating silences.
A strategic move after Yellowstone
Under Salt Marsh shows Kelly Reilly actively trying to distance herself from the overwhelming shadow of Beth Dutton. This isn’t a role to please a mainstream audience, but rather a choice that leans towards psychological depth, risk, and challenge.
With its first trailer, the film sent a clear message: this is a story about secrets that cannot be buried, and the price to pay when the past returns to demand its revenge.
Will Under Salt Marsh become Kelly Reilly’s darkest psychological role, or will it prove she’s ready to leave Yellowstone and enter a far more dangerous phase of her career?