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Sure, his agnostic existentialist schtick makes him the cinematic equivalent of Tolstoy and about as fun to watch, but it’s easy to forget that once upon a time, before Bergman, nipples were not a common sight on the silver screen. Or, you know, vomity rape. The Language of Love (1969)
You may recognize The Language of Love as Travis Bickle’s date movie of choice in Taxi Driver. This pseudo-documentary stars two notable psychologists and a sex adviser as they reveal the ins and outs of doin’ it. P.S. Last Summer (1988)
Man, teenagers throw the best parties. Breaking Point (1975)/Thriller – A Cruel Picture (1974)
Little needs be said about Thriller, like how Tarantino took the whole premise for Kill Bill, or how it’s the most notorious of the sensationsfilms, or how awesome it is that Christina Lindberg gets hers in the end with the help of a horse (it’s not what you think). But it’s actually director Bo A. Vibenius’ profoundly confusing follow-up, Breaking Point, that defines the genre at the limits of comprehensibility. Watch out for the creative pseudonyms in the end credits—Adolf Deutch is my personal favorite.
Man Can’t Be Raped aka Manrape (1978)
While there are thousands of other must-see classics that you can find in Swedish Sensationsfilms, I can’t help but point out this little gem. Almost impossible to find, this movie answers the question that’s bothered me since some girl once explained in detail how precisely timed doses of Viagra and Rohypnol can prove this title wrong. You might be reminded of Lisbeth Salander sodomizing her guardian in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but what blows my mind is that this shit actually happens in Sweden.