Within mere days of its release, the Netflix film, 365 Days has become the most talked-about film on the streaming platform and currently sits at No. 1 on the platform’s Top 10 most-watched films. Dubbed Poland’s 50 Shades of Grey, the erotic thriller has gripped the internet with its minutes-long, intensely graphic sex scenes and kinda stupid storyline. The plot? Massimo (Michele Morrone) gives Laura (Anna Maria Sieklucka) exactly 365 days to fall in love with him. If she fails to do so, she can return to their boring and unhappy life in Poland.
The movie is based on a steamy novel by Blanka Lipińska and is, what many call, a bodice-ripper.
“We wanted the camera to be as much invisible as possible, to let them act, so indeed the takes were very, very long,” cinematographer Bartek Cierlica told Variety. “We created the most intimate atmosphere we could for the actors. We reduced the on-set crew to an absolute minimum. As it was handheld I was following their action, and trying to show their passion in a natural but beautiful way. We wanted this sex to be pretty authentic. We wanted the viewer to hear their whispers, heavy breaths and we wanted to show the sweat, passion. Be natural, authentic, but not to cross the border of pornography.”
“We didn’t want to create porn, but at the same time, we wanted to do justice to the book that is pretty full of very intimate and passionate sex descriptions,” he added. “I knew that as a DP I was walking on very thin ice. It is always a big challenge when you have to bring to life a story that people know and have their idea about. Here the challenge was doubled — how to make it seductive and erotic within the borders of general good taste and my aesthetic.”
The film has received scathing reviews but does anyone care? Apparently not.