The 1975 film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, directed by Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, is a graphic and disturbing portrayal of extreme sadism, violence, and degradation. It is set during the last years of World War II, as fascist forces occupy parts of Italy.
The story follows four wealthy libertines - the Duke, the Bishop, the Magistrate, and the President - who retreat to a remote mansion in the countryside with a group of nine teenage boys and girls. The libertines have no moral boundaries, and their depraved sexual appetites involve the most grotesque acts of degradation and humiliation.
The film is divided into four segments, each corresponding to the four circles of Dante's Inferno: Anteinferno, Circle of Manias, Circle of Shit, and Circle of Blood. In each segment, the adolescents are subjected to increasingly horrific acts of torture, such as branding, mutilation, and sodomy.
The libertines are shown to be obsessed with power and control, using their wealth and status to dominate and manipulate their victims. The teenagers are helpless victims, stripped of any agency and forced to endure their tormentors' perverse desires.
Pasolini's aim was to expose the brutality and violence inherent in fascism and to criticize the exploitation of power. The film was banned in several countries for its graphic content and its critique of authority, but it remains a notorious and powerful work of art that continues to challenge audiences today.