Set in Fascist Italy in 1944-45, 120 Days Of Sodom is a film about power, sex, torture, evil and the places that human beings can go, many without any remorse or moral questioning. 120 Days Of Sodom is director Pier Paolo Pasolinis interpretation of the story by the Marquis De Sade and it is one of the most controversial films ever made.

The film begins in a room in a castle-like mansion where four men, referred to as the Duke, the President, The Magistrate and the Bishop sign some sort of deal that will lead to the events that follow. At the time, we obviously have no idea to what they are all agreeing but we soon find out. It begins with them marrying each others' daughters, although this is nothing compared to the real fun they are preparing to have. They enlist the help of several young men who go out and kidnap nine boys and nine girls from the countryside. Along with these eighteen “participants,” the men also find four older women prostitutes to come along as well. Although this is only the first little part of the film, this gathering portion takes 116 days. The rest of the movie is the 4 days that these men spend with their captives in, for lack of a better word, hell. Actually, as the story is split up into four sections loosely paralleling Dante’s Inferno, hell is a good word to use.

The teens are brought to a secluded castle location in order to be used as the vessels of these men’s every perverse sexual desire. First they are all lined up and told the rules of the place as the young men who had rounded them up stand guard. Then they are brought inside and the degradation and horrors begin. The parallels to Nazi concentration camps is unmistakable - the rounding up of the "prisoners", the inspection by the men in power, the rules and punishments for breaking them.

Each day, as the women prostitutes tell stories of their erotic adventures in great detail, the aroused men, abuse the boys and girls around them. Scenes includ rape, humiliation, golden showers, scat play, torture and anything else they can think of. One game they come up with involves deciding which of the captures has the best ass. The prize for winning you ask? Well, as one of the men gleefully decides, it shall be their death. Pasolini doesn’t hold back or shy away from anything here and there are many scenes that will not soon leave your head. Besides the graphic and extreme moments, what I found even more disturbing was the pure joy and pleasure that the four men derived from it all.

It is easy to dismiss the film as pure shock with no substance (and many have), but I think that is missing the point. Although his father became famous for saving Benito Mussolini's life, Pasolini himself was a strong anti-fascist, which is more than evident in the film's poorly veiled references and allusions to that time in history of Fascist rule. Although I was shocked a few times (the famous banquette scene is one I will never forget), Pasolini's social statement about fascism and power did not go unheard.

Pasolini was murdered only about a year after finishing the movie, although the man who originally confessed to the crime recanted his confession in 2005 and there are many theories as to who actually did it and why. His movie has been banned, and still is, in many countries and finding the film is going to be hard. However, knowing what you're getting yourself into, if you can get your hands on a copy of 120 Days Of Sodom, it will be worth your while. Pasolini was trying to get people to react and to think. You will be either shocked and or disgusted, but you will react.