Salò is one of those films which people talk about, but most have never seen. Banned in lots of countries, I remember when it came off the banned list and, from what I read, pretty much decided I didn't really need to see it.
Unfortunately, I changed my mind...
The plot is extremely simple; four powerful fascists organise the kidnapping of 18 youths, who are then subjected to various sexual, physical, and mental tortures over a period of several months. Regardless of the amount of nudity and sexual activity on display, do not think for an instant that this film contains a single scene that is in any way erotic. In fact, Pier Paolo Pasolini (the director, who was murdered shortly after finishing the film), deliberately creates an atmosphere where sexuality is, more than anything else, boring.
The four libertines are as bored as the audience, and appear to feel nothing at all, regardless of the lengths they go to to achieve some kind of arousal. Their methods of torture escalate, until, in the final scenes, they dispose of their victims as cruelly as possible.
I found the most disturbing images to be those involving coprophagia (eating feces, basically). While I've read that these scenes where intended to represent the corruption of the consumer society, it didn't make it any easier to watch. If I hadn't have been determined to write about this movie, I would have quite happily turned the film off at this point. Apart from anything else, I find it hard to believe that you are likely to find any four people who would share this particular fetish, which made it even harder to accept.
What does the film have to say? That fascism is bad and that power corrupts? Well, duh!
My verdict? Avoid this film. It really is, quite simply, an unpleasant experience, and I honestly don't think that anyone is likely to walk away from it feeling anything other than disgust.
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