365 Days (365 Dni) is a Polish erotic romantic drama film directed by Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes. The Film is based on Blanka Lipińska’s best-selling trilogy and follows the journey of kidnapping, desire, obsession and out of the box story. The film was heavily criticized for its portrayal of romance, sex and consent but still gained huge popularity all around the globe because of its controversial themes in the content and the fact that it was available on Netflix. The release date was February 7th, 2020.
Synopsis
The film is about Laura Biel (Anna-Maria Sieklucka), who is an ambitious woman but is unable to get satisfaction out of her relationships. When she goes to Sicily for a vacation, she is taken hostage by Massimo Torricelli (Michele Morrone). He is attractive but also ruthless and happens to be the leader of one of the most notorious crime families in Sicily.
Massimo, who has been in love with Laura from years after spotting her for a second, gives her one year to fall in love with him. His constant assurance to her of not physically entertaining her without her permission is accompanied with him putting her in situations that undermine her. As Laura starts becoming attracted to him, only then it becomes clear that anger, fear, and confusion were always meant to get intertwined with love and affection. But, they equally deal with the repercussions of Massimo’s mafia life and this leads to a significant climax and further adventuring possibilities.
Cast & Crew
- Directors: Barbara Białowąs, Tomasz Mandes
- Producers: Ewa Lewandowska, Tomasz Mandes, Maciej Kawulski
- Based on: 365 Dni by Blanka Lipińska
Main Cast:
- Michele Morrone as Massimo Torricelli
- Anna-Maria Sieklucka as Laura Biel
- Bronisław Wrocławski as Mario
- Magdalena Lamparska as Olga
- Natasza Urbańska as Anna
Production and Cinematic Style
Italy and Poland served as the backdrop for 365 Days, and the makers of the film have gone to extents to ensure that viewers are able to enjoy a character’s fantasy; Massimo’s world touches wealth and sensuality in every way. From extravagant properties to stunning views of the oceans, the cinematography is such that viewers never feel detached from the character.
Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes concentrated on the slower shots, rich decoration and details to augment the erotic nature of the film. The director couple employed specific music to enhance the erotic ambiance and Michele Morrone’s sang a few somber ballads which set the right mood including one of his hits Hard for Me.
Themes and Analysis
Obsession vs. Love
The real question that dominates the film 365 Days is, whether Laura’s love for Massimo is love, or she is being forced to love him. It explains the grey area of romance vs manipulation as seen in the relationship of the protagonists.
Power and Control
The narrative covers the aspect of power, where almost all of Laura’s aspects of life are accessed by Massimo while she is in captivity. The film has been criticized for inferring that this imbalance is something exciting, as if to say the control is a good thing.
Fantasy and Reality
The story serves as a perfect fantasy and cuts the real life beliefs of romance and good morals out of the picture. For some, the way the film is shot exaggerates a bad relationship fostered by giving into fantasies that people want but are not able to have.
Consent and Autonomy:
One of the aspects the critics of the film take issue with is the way the film treats the concept of consent. Massimo makes a promise to Laura that he’ll wait for her to want him, but the actions that Massimo employs – kidnapping, emotional abuse and dominance – does make us wonder how free Laura’s love for him at the end of the story really is.
Critical Reception
There are innumerous reviews that praise 365 Days for its plot but critics are mostly not entertained by the film and give it a thumbs down. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the critics gave the film a 0% rating while 29% of the audience was happy with it. The reviewers felt that the plot was poor with no character development and called it abuse hidden as romance.
Kristy Puchko, a critic from Pajiba, described the movie in a rather comical manner saying “this movie is an erotic thriller with neither the erotics nor the thrills nor even a remotely comprehensive plot”. Some likened it to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, though they added that this was missing the elements that would make these sexual parts justified by some character growth and emotional attachment.
Nonetheless the movie remained one of the most watched movies on Netflix in 2020 and gained millions of views internationally. Followers enjoyed the heat between Anna-Maria Sieklucka and Michele Morrone and the movie was praised for its boldness and sexual nature.
Controversies and Discussions
Many critics of the film expressed their disdain towards it for different reasons. One in particular voiced their unease with the coercive sexual abuse portrayed in the film alongside the toxic relationship it depicted. Due to the oppressed portrayal of romance, critics and various advocacy groups received many petitions to take the show down, with some even reaching up to the hundreds of thousands.
Due to the backlash, some critics were quick to blame Blanka Lipińska as well as the filmmakers for the ‘fictional entertainment’. However, followers and fans backed them, stating it is better to be viewed as fantasy instead of reality.
Cultural Impact
As one can easily expect, the social media presence of the film boosted it greatly, allowing it to reach international recognition. Michele morrones steamy portrayal of the character Massimo was one a lot of people wanted to capture, and this led to a mass production of memes and fan edits over the dark brooding character.
Due to the immense success of the show, two sequels of it were released shortly after 365 Days: This Day (2022) and The Next 365 Days (2022). While being a guilty pleasure for people, it followed the turbulent love story of Laura alongside Massimo.
Conclusion
365 Days is a film rife with controversy, impressive in the manner in which it blends romance and isolation, pleasing viewers while putting forth a challenge on ethics in the representation of consent and power. Though the films has been notorious for its story and character development, the intense popularity of the movie proves that lewd entertainment never dies in its appeal.
For some, 365 Days is an overly worked movie depicting abuse in a romantic fashion, however for others it is an innocent dream; just don’t think too much about it. No matter where people lie on this scale, we cannot ignore the cultural impact the film had, cementing the idea of fantasy and imagination being intertwined with reality.
Watch Free Movies on Fmovies