Abrar Khan
The sequel to a film compared to Fifty Shades of Grey has hit Netflix, bringing another dollop of sexually charged - and problematic - action to screens.
365 Days: This Day is the sequel to 2020’s 365 Days, which received a critical pounding thanks to its glorification of sexual violence, kidnapping and the Mafia.
Despite this, it was one of the streaming service’s most popular films, and now the sequel has finally come to deposit another load of controversy. So what can viewers expect from the raunchfest that is 356 Days 2?
Released in 2020, 365 Days is a Polish erotic thriller that has drawn comparisons to the Fifty Shades trilogy. It is based on the first novel of a trilogy by Blanka Lipińska, and follows Laura, a young woman from Warsaw who meets Massimo - a domineering Sicilian man - as her previous relationship is faltering.
He imprisons her, imposing on her a period of 365 days in which to fall in love with him.
Critics lambasted the film for romanticising kidnapping and rape - sexual violence is prevalent in the film's many sex scenes - and even a perceived glorification of the Mafia.
Online petitions sprang up in the wake of the film’s release demanding it be quickly pulled off streaming services, and 365 Days was also the “lucky” recipient of the Worst Screenplay gong at the 2021 Golden Raspberry Awards.
The sequel is based on the second novel of Lipińska’s trilogy, and this time, the film is a Netflix ‘original’ (the previous 365 Days was a Netflix acquisition of a completed film).
This means the streamer has had greater creative control, so expect a more careful approach to some of the provocative issues from the first film.
365 Days: This Day was released on 27 April 2022 on Netflix.
Though the sequel is likely to get just as rotten a critical response as its predeccessor, sex sells, and demand for titillating content will always be high.