The 365 Days Trilogy is a massive hit for Netflix. There’s sex, the mafia, and plenty more to keep audiences engaged. But, despite that, it fails to win over critics.
Netflix’s erotic thriller 365 Days and its sequels, 365 Days: This Day and the Next 365 Days, are prevalent on the streaming service. However, despite their widespread popularity, it is okay to say that they are not precisely critical darlings.
Based on the novels by Blanka Lipinska, the 365 Days Netflix Trilogy draws inspiration from 50 Shades of Grey and its sequels. There’s sex, BDSM, the mafia, and plenty more to keep audiences engaged (or at least scratching their heads), and the trilogy has played out at lightning speed, with all three movies coming out thick and fast.
But is the 365 Days Trilogy an accurate representation of BDSM, and what does the BDSM community think of it? We’ll find out plenty more, but let’s briefly introduce the 365 Days Trilogy first.
365 trilogy Netflix
“365 Days” is a 2020 Polish erotic drama film directed by Barbara Biaow and Tomasz Mandes. Based on the first novel of a trilogy by Blanka Lipiska, the film tells the story of Laura, a young woman who is kidnapped and held captive by a Sicilian mafia boss, Massimo Torricelli, who gives her 365 days to fall in love with him.
The story begins with Laura, a young sales executive from Poland, who is in a relationship with her boyfriend, Martin. On a business trip in Sicily, Massimo Torricelli kidnaps Laura, as he’s a powerful and wealthy Sicilian boss who is also the head of the Torricelli crime family. Massimo tells Laura that he has chosen her to be his next “girlfriend” and gives her 365 days to fall in love with him.
Throughout the film, we see Massimo’s attempts to win Laura’s affection through various means, including taking her on luxurious vacations, buying her expensive gifts, and even arranging for her to meet with her family. However, Laura is initially resistant to Massimo’s advances and is determined to escape. But as time passes, she begins to see a different side of Massimo and starts to fall for him.
365 Days: This Day
With Massimo’s familial ties and a mysterious newcomer to Laura’s life who is determined to win her love and trust at any cost, Laura and Massimo’s fresh start is fraught with more than its fair share of incredibly sensual meetings, simmering jealousies, and frightening betrayals.
365 Days: This Day, based on the second book in a trilogy, begins with the wedding of protagonists Massimo and Laura. Due to the accident at the end of the last film, Laura has lost her child. They are both happy until Laura gets bored because she has nothing to do while Massimo is working. Daily disagreements compel her to concentrate on Massimo’s gardener, Nacho.
To Massimo’s domineering and commanding nature, Nacho brings softness and a lack of menace. When Laura catches Massimo in the act with his ex, she flees with Nacho, who becomes her emotional support hunk throughout the film.
Like its predecessor, “365 Days: This Day” has a lot of sexually explicit scenes, though many of them aren’t as good as they could be. This “365 Days: This Day” thing isn’t even close to being a movie. It’s the heartless id of late capitalism, a numbing stew of fake sexual encounters and pointless fights fueled by a false sense of passion.
The Next 365 Days
The Next 365 days got Netflix subscribers all hot and bothered when Laura and Massimo’s love story unexpectedly came to an end in August 2022. In this film, Laura and Massimo’s love is in jeopardy as they struggle to get over their jealousy and trust issues as a persistent Nacho tries to drive them apart.
Massimo pays a visit to the cemetery of Adriano, his identical twin brother who passed away during the previous movie’s events. Then he checks on Laura, who made it through Adriano’s onslaught and is recovering. Despite the doctor’s advice to refrain from intimacy while she recovers, Laura seduces Massimo at one of his business meetings.
We can all agree that the conclusion of the wildly successful trilogy saw Laura and Massimo working to mend their relationship following the terrible events of “365 Days: This Day.”
As soon as the movie got released, the audience gave an overwhelming response. The films were trending in most regions. Fans shared their reviews and thoughts about Massimo, and his dialogue, “Are you lost, baby girl?” was all over the internet. However, despite that, the movie failed to win over the critics and got a 0% rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. What’s the reason?
Why are 365 Days Celebrated so Heavily?
Due to their “mind-blowing bondage” and other filthy sex scenes, the three films of the 365 Days Trilogy quickly became Netflix sensations after their initial release. On the other hand, it has received much backlash for its sexual violence and deplorable plot. While many criticized it for sexual assault and a terrible story, a few defended it by saying it’s just fantasy. In addition, many of its Gen Z followers may be confused by its distorted portrayal of consent and BDSM.
365 Days proved controversial upon release due to various reasons. For example, despite Massimo’s claims that he wouldn’t even touch Laura without permission, there are numerous scenes in 365 Days where he gropes her, abuses her, and forces her into uncomfortable situations. Besides this, he ignores her discomfort and, in the film’s most infamous scene, compels her to watch him have oral sex with someone else.
BDSM in a 365 Days Trilogy
Despite the fact that films like “50 Shades of Grey” and “365 Days” have helped bring particular fetishes and the BDSM community into the spotlight, they also contribute to the dangerous misconception that sexual activity without consent is inherently appealing or erotic.
Although the 365 Day Trilogy’s reputation is as kinkiest, it’s actually relatively tame, except for a scene in which Massimo shackles Laura to a bed and makes her watch another woman blow him.
Aside from this, the 365 Day Trilogy doesn’t do much to teach its viewers about BDSM terms or ideas, unlike 50 Shades of Grey. Nonetheless, the whole film is essentially a protracted abduction/ravishment CNC scene or could have been if it dealt with consent appropriately. Instead, we get the “Dom” constantly losing his anger to take control and the “sub” trying to trigger his rage by being disobedient, which feels like a warped vision of a D/s dynamic from a vanilla person.
In BDSM, consent is necessary for all close relationships, i.e., sexual, physical, or romantic. So although some people may enjoy BDSM in the bedroom, that doesn’t mean they don’t need to give their permission for it. But it is not present, and the movie is a very troubling and nonconsensual look at BDSM sex.
What are the Views of the BDSM Community About the 365 Days Trilogy?
“365 Days Netflix Trilogy” is a set of controversial movies that have gotten much bad press for how it shows BDSM. One of the main things that people don’t like about it is that it makes BDSM look abusive and not voluntary. Throughout the movie, Massimo physically and emotionally forces Laura to participate in BDSM activities, and there are several scenes where she is clearly uncomfortable and upset. This depiction of BDSM is not only inaccurate, but it also perpetuates harmful stereotypes about BDSM practitioners and their relationships.
Additionally, the trilogy is under criticism for glamorizing sexual violence. The way Massimo treats Laura is shown to be romantic and passionate, not abusive and mean. It sends a dangerous message that sexual violence is acceptable and even desirable.
The BDSM community has also spoken out against the movie, saying that it reinforces the idea that BDSM relationships are violent and not mutually agreed upon. Genuine BDSM relationships are based on consent, communication, and trust, and these elements are severely lacking in the relationship portrayed in the film.
Overall, “365 Days” shows BDSM in a wrong way that reinforces stereotypes and makes sexual violence look cool. It is not a positive representation of the BDSM community. And it should not be used as an accurate portrayal of BDSM relationships.
Bottomline
Most people think that the 365 Days Trilogy is a sexy movie, which you can find on Netflix and they’re right. It doesn’t shy away from erotic scenes and explicit sexual content, including BDSM scenes. The film looks appealing in terms of production design and cinematography, but the story and characters are poorly written and underdeveloped. For example, the main character, Laura, is shown as a passive victim who gets into BDSM forcefully. The film also doesn’t explain why the main villain, Massimo, does what he does, which makes it hard to understand or connect with the characters.
In the end, “365 Days” is a good-looking movie, but its plot is complicated and not very deep. It fails to depict BDSM accurately and instead presents a dangerous and unrealistic portrayal. People have said that the movie romanticizes sexual assault and kidnapping because it shows sexual content that didn’t happen with consent. It’s not a movie many would recommend, especially if you’re looking for a safe, consensual, and well-rounded portrayal of BDSM.
What about reading a book again or listening to the 365 Days story on audible? Click on the pictures below:
