In a world of decadence, lust, and strange revelations, two young friends, Encolpio and Ascilto, embark on an adventure through the Roman Empire that challenges reality as we know it. With no clear direction and driven by an insatiable quest for pleasure and meaning, they find themselves in a series of surreal encounters that defy logic. From an extravagant banquet filled with excess to a tumultuous affair with a beautiful youth, each experience is a mosaic of intense and grotesque emotions.
The narrative, based on fragments of Petronius's work, oscillates between caricature and drama, featuring extravagant characters such as a desperate virgin, an elderly aristocrat obsessed with youth, and a prostitute who becomes the unexpected savior of the protagonists. As they continue their odyssey, Encolpio and Ascilto are swept along by the current of their desires and fears, exploring themes of identity, power, and the ephemeral nature of life.
The film is a visual feast, filled with striking imagery and a baroque aesthetic that transcends time, featuring a dreamlike style that leaves the viewer immersed in their own reflection. In this journey of excess and self-discovery, friendship is tested and the rules of morality dissolve, prompting a questioning of the very essence of the human condition. In the end, the line between the sublime and the grotesque blurs, leaving a profound mark on memory.