Given the depraved nature of this film, a 10 rating may seem a touch high. To be certain, the film has it's share of disgusting moments, yet those are not the core of the film. The central soul of this movie is the over-riding sense of hopelessness. I would call it Schiendler's List's evil little brother. But where as Spielbergs film was about the triumph of the human spirit under horrible conditions, Paolini's vision looks at the bottomless depths that the human creature can fall.
Set during Fascist era Italy, a group of wealthy party members gather up a collection of young men and women to use as entertainment. Taking advice from an aging former madam, they re-enact her most debauched stories of perversion in an amplified manner. Things move in a down-ward spiral until the inevitable breaking point: a girl is caught breaking the rules of behavior and in an effort to lighten her punishment, turns in another rule-breaker, who in turn does the same and so on and such forth.
Despite the films reputation, it isn't particularly graphic. While there is an abundance of nudity there is little of no "normal" sex. There are some scenes of bloody violence, but those happen mostly near the end. What makes this film so disturbing isn't what you see so much as what you feel. There is no hope for these poor people, neither the Facists nor their prisoners; every one is doomed to madness or death. The final shot of the movie is really the most uncomfortable of the whole film, yet it is so mundane, just a simple shot of two boys practicing dancing and asking each other about their girlfriends. To understand why that is so unnerving, you have to see it in context.
This is definitely not a film for everyone, or even most people. I consider myself pretty jaded to disturbing cinema and I still walked away with an uneasy feeling, akin to losing all faith in humanity. There is nothing cheesy nor fun about the happenings here.
A film I am glad to have seen once, but hope to never watch again.
10/10
Set during Fascist era Italy, a group of wealthy party members gather up a collection of young men and women to use as entertainment. Taking advice from an aging former madam, they re-enact her most debauched stories of perversion in an amplified manner. Things move in a down-ward spiral until the inevitable breaking point: a girl is caught breaking the rules of behavior and in an effort to lighten her punishment, turns in another rule-breaker, who in turn does the same and so on and such forth.
Despite the films reputation, it isn't particularly graphic. While there is an abundance of nudity there is little of no "normal" sex. There are some scenes of bloody violence, but those happen mostly near the end. What makes this film so disturbing isn't what you see so much as what you feel. There is no hope for these poor people, neither the Facists nor their prisoners; every one is doomed to madness or death. The final shot of the movie is really the most uncomfortable of the whole film, yet it is so mundane, just a simple shot of two boys practicing dancing and asking each other about their girlfriends. To understand why that is so unnerving, you have to see it in context.
This is definitely not a film for everyone, or even most people. I consider myself pretty jaded to disturbing cinema and I still walked away with an uneasy feeling, akin to losing all faith in humanity. There is nothing cheesy nor fun about the happenings here.
A film I am glad to have seen once, but hope to never watch again.
10/10