Is Barbarian Days William Finnegan'S Best Memoir?

Growing up around stacks of scandalous novels and dusty philosophy tomes, I always thought '120 Days of Sade' was less a simple story and more a concentrated acid test of ideas. On one level it’s a product of the libertine tradition—an extreme push against moral and religious constraints that were choking Europe. Marquis de Sade was steeped in Enlightenment debates; he took the era’s fascination with liberty and reason and twisted them into a perverse experiment about what absolute freedom might look like when detached from empathy or law. Beyond the philosophical provocation, the work is shaped by personal and historical context. De Sade’s life—prison stints, scandals, and witnessing aristocratic decay—feeds into the novel’s obsession with power hierarchies and moral hypocrisy. The elaborate cataloging of torments reads like a satire of bureaucratic order: cruelty is presented with the coolness of an administrator logging entries, which makes the social critique sting harder. Reading it left me unsettled but curious; it’s the kind of book that forces you to confront why we have restraints and what happens when they’re removed, and I still find that terrifyingly fascinating.

If you're hoping for a compact roadmap through who’s named 'The 120 Days of Sodom' as an influence, I can give you a little guided tour from my bookshelf and brain. Georges Bataille is a must-mention: he didn't treat Sade as mere shock value but as a crucible for thinking about transgression and the limits of experience. Roland Barthes also dug into Sade—his essay 'Sade, Fourier, Loyola' probes what Sade's work does to language and meaning. Michel Foucault repeatedly used Sade as a touchstone when mapping the relationship of sexuality, power, and discourse; his discussions helped rehabilitate Sade in modern intellectual history. Gilles Deleuze contrasted Sade and masochism in his writings on desire and structure, using Sade to think through cruelty and sovereignty. On the creative side, Jean Genet admired the novel's radicalness and Pasolini famously turned its logic into the film 'Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'. Henry Miller and William S. Burroughs are two twentieth-century writers who wore Sade's influence on their sleeves, drawing on his transgressive frankness for their own boundary-pushing prose. Each of these figures treated Sade differently—some as philosopher, some as antiseptic mirror, some as provocation—and that variety is what keeps the dialogue with 'The 120 Days of Sodom' so alive for me.

Good question—'Barbarian' has sparked a lot of curiosity about alternate versions, and I dug into this a lot when I was hunting for extras for a movie night. There isn't a widely released, official director's cut of 'Barbarian' that expands the core runtime into a radically different film. What you can find on physical releases and many streaming special features are deleted or extended scenes, plus director commentary and featurettes where Zach Cregger talks about cuts that were considered. Those deleted scenes tend to add atmosphere or give a bit more setup for character beats rather than change the main plot twist. If you're the sort who loves seeing unused footage, the Blu-ray/DVD extras and the director's commentary are the best places to look — they show what was trimmed for pacing and tension. Personally, I liked hearing the director explain why certain scenes were cut; it made me appreciate the finished film even more.

I got genuinely excited after watching 'Barbarian' and thinking about what comes next. The short version of my take: there wasn't an official sequel greenlit as of mid-2024, but the movie absolutely left the door wide open. The twist and the underground setup practically beg for more exploration — whether that means a direct sequel following the remaining mysteries, a prequel about how the whole subterranean situation began, or even a spin-off focusing on one of the peripheral characters. From a fan's perspective I love the possibilities. The director, cast, and the film’s cult momentum could persuade a studio to move forward, but it often comes down to box office numbers, streaming deals, and whether the creative team wants to continue. Personally I’d be thrilled to see a sequel that leans into the eerie worldbuilding and expands the mythology without turning everything into a typical franchise, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for news, hoping they don’t overcook it — that subtle dread is what made 'Barbarian' stick with me.

A tiny film like 'Slow Days, Fast Company' sneaks up on you with a smile. I got hooked because it trusts the audience to notice the small stuff: the way a character fiddles with a lighter, the long pause after a joke that doesn’t land, the soundtrack bleeding into moments instead of slapping a mood on. That patient pacing feels like someone handing you a slice of life and asking you to sit with it. The dialogue is casual but precise, so the characters begin to feel like roommates you’ve seen grow over months rather than protagonists in a two-hour plot sprint. Part of the cult appeal is its imperfections. It looks homemade in the best way possible—handheld camerawork, a few continuity quirks, actors who sometimes trip over a line and make it more human. That DIY charm made it easy for communities to claim it: midnight screenings, basement viewing parties, quoting odd little lines in group chats. The soundtrack—small, dusty indie songs and a couple of buried classics—became its own social glue; I can still hear one piano loop and be transported back to that exact frame. For me, it became a comfort film, the sort I’d return to on bad days because it doesn’t demand big emotions, it lets you live inside them. It inspired other indie creators and quietly shifted how people talked about pacing and mood. When I think about why it stuck, it’s this gentle confidence: it didn’t try to be everything at once, and that refusal to shout made room for a loyal, noisy little fandom. I still smile when a line pops into my head.

That stretch of nine days in the movie's ending landed like a soft drumbeat — steady, ritualistic, and somehow inevitable. I felt it operate on two levels: cultural ritual and psychological threshold. On the ritual side, nine days evokes the novena, those Catholic cycles of prayer and petition where time is deliberately stretched to transform grief into acceptance or desire into hope. That slow repetition makes each day feel sacred, like small rites building toward a final reckoning. Psychologically, nine is the last single-digit number, which many storytellers use to signal completion or the final stage before transformation. So the characters aren’t just counting days; they’re moving through a compressed arc of mourning, decision, and rebirth. The pacing in those scenes—quiet mornings, identical breakfasts, small changes accumulating—made me sense the characters shedding skins. In the final frame I saw the nine days as an intentional liminal corridor: a confined period where fate and free will tango. It left me with that bittersweet feeling that comes from watching someone finish a long, private ritual and step out changed, which I liked a lot.

Stepping into those first 90 days can feel like booting up a brand-new game on hard mode — there’s excitement, uncertainty, and a dozen systems to learn. I treat it like a mission: first, scope the map. Spend the early weeks listening more than speaking. I make a deliberate effort to talk with a cross-section of people — direct reports, peers, stakeholders — to map out who has influence, who’s carrying hidden knowledge, and where the landmines are. That listening phase isn’t passive; I take notes, sketch org charts, and start forming hypotheses that I’ll test. Next, I hunt for achievable wins that align with bigger goals. That might be fixing a broken process, clarifying a confusing priority, or helping a teammate unblock a project. Those small victories build credibility and momentum faster than grand plans on day one. I also focus on cadence: weekly check-ins, a public roadmap, and rituals that signal stability. That consistency helps people feel safe enough to take risks. Finally, I read 'The First 90 Days' and then intentionally ignore the parts that don’t fit my context. Frameworks are useful, but culture is the real game mechanic. I try to be honest about my blind spots, ask for feedback, and adjust. By the end of the third month I aim to have a few validated wins, a clearer strategy, and stronger relationships — and usually a renewed buzz about what we can build together.

I've dug into the history of this film enough to know it's one of those titles that has lived in different guises depending on where and when you tried to see it. 'Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom' was so controversial that some countries initially banned it outright, while others allowed heavily cut prints to be shown. Those early censored versions sometimes removed or obscured sequences of sexual violence and humiliation, or used black frames and muted audio to render certain images less explicit. Over the decades, however, film scholars and archival restorations have pushed for access to the film as Pasolini made it, so there are now respected uncut restorations available in many places. If you're hunting for a particular viewing, check the edition notes and run time before buying or streaming: reputable distributors and festival screenings usually state if the print is restored and uncut. Conversely, some TV broadcasts, local classifications, or older physical releases still carry edits to meet local laws or age ratings. Personally, I treat any viewing of this film with a lot of forethought — it's artistically important but meant to unsettle, and I prefer to know whether I'm seeing the full piece or a trimmed version before I sit down.