Dekadenz

DECADENCE – A longing for pleasure and decay

The two-part ARTE series “Dekadenz – Sehnsucht nach Lust und Verfall” examines the idea of decadence, often understood as the beginning of the end for civilisations and cultures.

Decadence in history and art: the documentary begins in the time of the ancient Romans, an era marked by lavish banquets and excessive appetites. It explores how the idea of decadence as the cause of cultural decline remained present in later times, especially in the artistic period of the Décadence and the fin de siècle.

Decadence today: the second part brings the story into the present. It shows how moral radicalism is increasingly growing out of the centre of the Western world. At the same time, extreme populists and neo-fascists use the concept of decadence to portray the Western way of life and democracy as corrupt, and predict their downfall.

The documentary sheds light not only on the cultural and historical context but also on the dangers such rhetoric poses for society.

The film is in German.