Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | 1975

Main Plot

Set in the final days of World War II in fascist-controlled Italy, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom follows four powerful men—a duke, a bishop, a magistrate, and a banker—who seize a group of young men and women. Isolated in a remote villa, these captors impose a strict regime of cruelty and degradation over the course of four months. The youths are forced to participate in a series of sadistic rituals and endure escalating acts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, all orchestrated by their tormentors and aided by a group of collaborators. As the days progress, the captives’ suffering intensifies, reflecting the depravity and corruption of unchecked power. The film is a harrowing exploration of human cruelty, power dynamics, and the loss of innocence, serving as a disturbing allegory for the atrocities committed under totalitarian regimes.

Characters

• Paolo Bonacelli plays the Duke, one of the four sadistic libertines orchestrating the group's depraved acts. His character's cruelty explores the corrupting nature of absolute power.
• Giorgio Cataldi portrays the Bishop, a complicit figure who blurs the lines between religious authority and moral depravity. His actions challenge the boundaries of faith and obedience.
• Uberto Paolo Quintavalle appears as the Magistrate, a man who manipulates the law to serve his own twisted desires. His journey embodies the perversion of justice under fascist rule.

Ending Explained

The ending of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom is both harrowing and unflinching, culminating in the final phase of the libertines’ sadistic experiment. As the 120 days draw to a close, the captives—already broken by relentless psychological and physical torment—face their ultimate fate. The libertines, having systematically dehumanized their victims, orchestrate a brutal spectacle in the villa’s courtyard, where the remaining adolescents are subjected to gruesome executions. The perpetrators observe the violence from a distance, detached and unmoved, highlighting the depth of their moral decay. Meanwhile, the cycle of cruelty is underscored by the casual conversation between two guards, who dance together as the atrocities unfold, suggesting the normalization of evil within the fascist regime. The film’s conclusion offers no redemption or rescue for the victims, instead leaving viewers with a chilling meditation on the consequences of unchecked power and the erasure of humanity. The abrupt, matter-of-fact ending reinforces the film’s relentless vision of suffering and complicity, closing the story on a note of profound despair.