Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom

In the final days of the Italian Social Republic, four wealthy libertines abduct a group of teenagers and subject them to horrific torture, degradation, and sexual violence over 120 days. Based on the Marquis de Sade's novel, the film uses the extreme cruelty as a metaphor for the corruption and decadence of power.

Salò is one of the most controversial and challenging films ever made, widely regarded as a masterpiece by some for its unflinching critique of power, fascism, and consumerism, while being reviled by others for its extreme and graphic depiction of violence and sexual abuse. It remains a subject of intense debate and censorship.

• A brutal and uncompromising allegory for the corruption of power and the perversion of humanity.

• Visually striking and intellectually provocative, but profoundly disturbing and difficult to watch.

• Its graphic content is undeniable, but its allegorical intent is the core of its enduring, albeit controversial, legacy.

Google audience: Audiences are deeply divided, with many acknowledging its artistic merit and powerful social commentary, while others find its extreme violence and sexual content unbearable and gratuitous.

Pier Paolo Pasolini was murdered just days before the film's release, and the film's controversial nature has fueled many conspiracy theories surrounding his death.