Review of Sweet Movie (1974) by John M — 09 Jun 2016

Sweet Movie isn't as much a traditional "movie" as a series of artistic ideas and images presented in cinematic form, and what is shown still has the power to shock, disgust, and challenge viewers over 40 years after its initial release.

Copious amounts of male frontal nudity, prepubescent boys being treated to an explicitly seductive striptease, graphic depictions of urination, defecation, and vomiting, and various forms of transgressive sexuality too numerous to mention; all of which are interwoven with real nazi war footage from WWII and presented through the lens of European political allegory, and it becomes apparent why scores of film historians have analyzed and criticized every frame of Sweet Movie, and why it has been banned in so many countries.

Physically and psychically taxing to the actors involved, Sweet Movie should be seen by any fan of subversive cinema or anyone interested in recalibrating their own moral compass.