120 Days of Sodom
Definition
120 Days of Sodom refers to two closely related but clearly distinct works: the 18th-century book Les 120 Journées de Sodome by Marquis de Sade and the film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Within the BDSM context, the film is almost always referred to, while the book has mainly historical and philosophical significance.
Explanation 120 Days of Sodom
The book Les 120 Journées de Sodome was written in 1785 and is considered an extreme literary work in which Sade examines power, moral decay, and hypocrisy among the elite. It is fragmentary and unfinished, highly theoretical in nature and intended as social criticism, not as a practical or erotically stimulating text. The book is mainly studied within philosophical, literary, and historical frameworks and rarely plays a role in contemporary BDSM experience.
The 1975 film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom is a radical reinterpretation of this source material. Pasolini moved the story to Italy during World War II and used the concept to formulate a damning indictment of fascism, absolute power, and dehumanization. The film is explicit, confrontational, and visually harsh, but its core is not eroticism. Rather, it shows what happens when power becomes completely detached from empathy, consent, and responsibility.
Within BDSM, 120 Days of Sodom is therefore not seen as an example or inspiration for play, but as a cultural reference point and warning. The work sharply shows what power becomes when the foundations of voluntariness, trust, and care are lacking. This makes it relevant in conversations about boundaries, abuse, and ethics, but incompatible with loving, consensual BDSM.
Safety & points of attention
Both the book and the film contain extremely disturbing themes and are not suitable for everyone. The film in particular can be psychologically disruptive and should never be viewed frivolously or without context.
In BDSM education, it is essential to explicitly state that the situations in 120 Days of Sodom have nothing to do with consensual power play.
Using this work to justify transgressive behavior is fundamentally wrong. It is precisely the lack of consent, voluntariness, and responsibility that forms the core of the criticism expressed in the work. In that sense, 120 Days of Sodom functions as a mirror of what BDSM is not.
Related concepts 120 Days of Sodom
Consensual
Consent
Marquis de Sade
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