If you like your films extreme, and I mean really extreme, then Xpiation may be for you. It contains a level of torture well beyond Hostel or Saw. For the average viewer, however, including some horror fans, this one may be too much. It’s not for anyone with a weak stomach. That’s for sure. It’s nearly 90 minutes of brutality, with each scene more severe than the last.

Directed by Domiziano Cristopharo and written by Andrea Cavaletto, the film contains a small cast. Simone Tolu plays the nameless, drug-addicted torturer. Emanuele Delia stars as the victim, who spends most of the runtime strapped naked to a chair, enduring one vicious punishment after another. Chiara Pavoni plays a bored-looking woman who records most of the gruesome events. Her role in it all eventually becomes clear, namely within the closing minutes.

The film starts with some punches and slaps to the face, before graduating to steel wool on the thigh, an iron to the groin, acid to the face, and other means of brutality mixed in. The effects look real, and it makes this film more difficult to watch. One scene specifically will stick with me for a long time, and not in a good way. It’s one of the most revolting sequences I’ve seen in some time, a real stomach churner.

Narratively speaking, however, this isn’t a sheer exploitation film with no plot. Flashbacks and glimpses into the torturer’s drug-addled mind give a reason for the bloodshed. Even the definition of the film’s title means the act of extinguishing guilt. Some of these flashbacks are no easier to watch than torture scenes. But at least the druggie and woman have a reason for their actions.

From a technical standpoint, the film looks good. The abandoned building works well as a central setting. Antony Coia’s score is oddly effective, too. Yet, this isn’t a film I plan to watch ever again. It’s nasty, and I’m no prude. Unlike say, some of the best French Extremity films, such as Martyrs or Inside, which are at times as equally as brutal as this, it doesn’t offer much commentary or a meditation on pain even. Sure, there are narrative reasons for what occurs, but that’s about it.

Xpiation is one harsh viewing experience. There’s nothing tame about it. This is beyond even the levels of torture porn. Making it to the credits feels like an accomplishment. This movie shocks, but at least it gives a narrative motive for the violence, adding a little depth. I just wish I could unsee some of the images. This feature makes a Rob Zombie or Eli Roth movie look tame by comparison.

5 Out of 10