Light up the Void  

Made in 1998, Sodomites is a short film by Gaspar Noé lasting approximately seven minutes. The work, rarely shown and little known to the general public, is part of a very specific context: a French HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, commissioned from several filmmakers and broadcast notably on Canal+.

Unlike the feature films that forged the director's international reputation (Irreversible, Enter the Void, Love), Sodomites is not a classic narrative film. It is an experimental film with explicit sexual content, conceived as a visually shocking work. The project aimed to directly address certain sexual practices in order to promote the use of condoms and lubricant, within a clearly stated public health framework.

Aesthetically, the short film already bears the hallmarks of Gaspar Noé's style: directness, a lack of symbolic detours, and a desire to provoke an immediate reaction from the viewer. The direction prioritizes impact over narrative, at the risk of blurring the line between a cautionary message and pure provocation.

Upon its release, Sodomites provoked mixed reactions. Some saw it as a consistent approach with the filmmaker's radical spirit and the context of the health emergency of the late 1990s. Others denounced a device deemed excessive, even unnecessarily shocking, believing that the educational dimension was eclipsed by the crudity of the images.

Today, Sodomites is generally considered a minor work in Gaspar Noé's filmography, cited more as a curiosity or period document than as a film in its own right. Nevertheless, it remains revealing of a constant in the director's work: the desire to confront the viewer with what cinema rarely shows, without filter or compromise.

Technical specifications

Directed and written by: Gaspar Noé
Format: short film
Duration: ~7 minutes
Country: France
Year of production: 1998
Initial broadcast medium: television (Canal+)
Production context: institutional HIV/AIDS prevention campaign
Classification: explicit sexual content (restricted distribution)

 Production context

Sodomites was produced as part of the "À coups sûrs" series of public health films commissioned by the French Ministry of Health. Each invited filmmaker was tasked with addressing a specific sexual practice, with the explicit aim of promoting safe sex. Gaspar Noé was assigned the theme of anal penetration, which influenced both the title and the film's visual style.

The project benefits from public funding, but gives the filmmakers unusual formal freedom for an institutional commission, explaining the radical nature of the film.