If you loved
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Film · 1976
What hooked you in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom was the harrowing exploration of how absolute power inevitably corrupts the human spirit.
Start with the source
The source
The Divine Comedy
Charles Eliot Norton, Dante Alighieri · Book · 2018
Books on the same thread
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez · Book · 1967
Explores: generational trauma, incest, fate vs free will.
Much like the cyclical cruelty found in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, this family saga examines how political corruption and generational trauma inevitably destroy those trapped within them.
Largo Desolato
Václav Havel · Book · 1987
Explores: Police State, Political Oppression, Intellectual Freedom.
If the suffocating atmosphere of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom resonated with you, this play captures that same sense of existential dread under an oppressive, all-consuming police state.
Animal Farm
George Orwell · Book · 1945
Explores: Totalitarianism, Revolution, Power Corruption.
This allegory mirrors the brutal power dynamics of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom by illustrating how absolute authority inevitably leads to the dehumanization and exploitation of the vulnerable.
Different Seasons
Stephen King · Book · 1982
Explores: Friendship, Loss of Innocence, Injustice.
While distinct in setting, these tales capture the same loss of innocence and deep injustice that defined the darkest, most psychological moments of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Series on the same thread
The Young Pope
Paolo Sorrentino · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom: power dynamics.
You will recognize the same ruthless power dynamics and institutional corruption in this Vatican drama that Pasolini exposed through the libertines in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Alice in Borderland
Series · 2020
Explores: Forced Competition, Existential Crisis, Moral Dilemmas.
The forced competition and extreme moral dilemmas presented here echo the sadistic, controlled environments used to break human spirits in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Jesus of Nazareth
Franco Zeffirelli · Series · 1977
Explores: Faith, Redemption, Sacrifice.
This historical epic provides a stark contrast to the cruelty of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, while still engaging with the heavy themes of sacrifice and absolute authority.
Sybil
Series · 1976
Explores: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Childhood Trauma, Mental Illness.
This biographical drama explores the profound, lasting impact of trauma on the individual psyche, much like the mental disintegration forced upon the victims in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.
Podcasts on the same thread
Sword and Scale
Sword and Scale · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human depravity, systemic failure, macabre.
This podcast mirrors the unflinching gaze Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom directed at human depravity, documenting the dark realities of systemic failure and the macabre nature of crime.
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
This series examines the historical foundations of systemic oppression, paralleling the political allegory found in Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom regarding how power structures perpetuate lasting harm.