The erotic Polish crime drama 365 DNI has already made waves with viewers, some of who are way into the sex scenes and others who have issue with its depiction of Stockholm syndrome in its kidnapping-turned-romance plot. Now, some sex experts are weighing in on the controversial film.
Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll co-host Ralph Sutton spoke to Page Six about his take on 365 DNI. “Some sort of Stockholm syndrome-y love affair develops, but throughout the movie, you have no idea how much time has passed. A few days? A few months? And then after Laura almost drowns โ there’s a sex scene on a boat [and] I swear I saw shaft,” Sutton said. However, by the time the credits rolled, he said he “felt as unsatisfied as I am sure most women in my life have felt after they’ve watched porn with me. The only thing I wanted to do was rewind to the boat sex scene again to see if I really saw shaft.”
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Alice Vaughn, co-host of the porn review podcast Two Girls One Mic also spoke to the outlet about her mixed reaction. “Is it entertaining? Kinda. Is it problematic? You betcha. 365 DNI wasn’t written for an Oscar. The movie was created for women who want to watch porn, but don’t want to be judged for watching porn.”
Produced in Poland and directed by Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes, 365 DNI follows business executive Laura Biel (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) who’s kidnapped while on vacation in Sicily. Her kidnapper, Massimo Torricelli (Michele Morrone), gives her one year to fall in love with him. As time goes on, Massimo coerces Laura into acts of voyeurism, BDSM, and (eventually) sex. Before long, she falls in love with him, which has become the main source of controversy.
The film is based on a best-selling book of the same name from author Blanka Lipiลska, which is also the first in a trilogy. It’s also been widely compared to the 50 Shades of Grey series, which also started as a book before being adapted into a film, which also tackled otherwise taboo issues which were also met with widespread controversy.
While opinions on the flick obviously vary widely, those who landed in the pro camp will be happy to hear that a sequel is likely to happen. Although due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s unlikely to start filming before some time in 2021. 365 DNI is currently available to stream on Netflix now.
