The film focuses on the protagonist's pursuit of carnal, heteronormative pleasure. While it explores fluid sexuality, it lacks explicit depictions of non-cisnormative identities or same-sex intimacy as central plot drivers.

Women appear as archetypal or fantastical entities rather than domestic figures. The film subverts traditional masculine competence by presenting a world of unstable power dynamics and decadence.

Set in 18th-century Europe, the film centers on a European baroque aesthetic. It lacks intentional race-bending or the inclusion of non-Anglo-Saxon identities to challenge the historical status quo.

The narrative excels at deconstructing Western institutions like religious authority and aristocracy. It portrays these traditional structures as hollow, corrupt, and decaying through a lens of the grotesque.

Physical deformity and grotesque character design serve as central aesthetic components. These characters often function as visual metaphors for decay rather than possessing individual agency.