On the Netflix streaming platform, a Polish film is much talked about. 365 DNI asserts itself as a film even hotter than 50 Nuances de Gray but contributes to an unbearable culture of rape. Explanations.
It's a controversial movie on Netflix. 365 Dni is a Polish feature film about the relationship between Massimo and Laura. The first comes from the Sicilian mafia while Laura is sales manager. While traveling in Italy, she crosses the road to Massimo who has been stalking her for years … And that's not all. The young man kidnaps her by making her ingest a sedative. When she wakes up, it gives her a year to fall in love with him. Seen in this way, we perceive the portrait of a predator, perverse narcissist who will endanger Laura's life. But the approach of 365 Dni is a terrible mistake because the relationship between the two characters is seen as incredibly romantic and idealistic while the film is full of sexist stereotypes, encouraging a culture of rape. We explain to you why 355 days Dni poses a real problem on the image of women and their relationship to men.
A film that does not take into account the notion of consent
The first problem of 365 days Dni is revealed from the start and even before Massimo actually meets Laura. We are astonished by the sexual assault of a flight attendant on an airplane. In flight, Massimo touches her, she bends down and is reduced to giving him a blowjob. No dialogue is exchanged between them. The young woman, in tears, leaves and displays a slight smile, suggesting that she finally liked this attack. This glamorization of sexual assault is somewhat disturbing. All this is without counting the first exchanges between Laura and Massimo. Laura, frightened, tries to run away. As for him, he explains: "I won't do anything without your permission." The small snag being that, during these sweet words, he sticks his face against hers and touches her breast. It is therefore with a lot of paradox – and cheek – that Massimo assures Laura of consent when he sexually assaults her.
It will not be the only sexual assault against her. By plane, Laura finds herself tied, against her will, so that she does not escape. She asks him to detach him but he refuses and takes advantage of his weak position to touch his breast, again, and the crotch. Nothing stops Massimo, presumably lacking in common sense, as to the consent of the woman with whom he claims to be in love. Massimo is a real executioner. It is the archetype of the narcissistic pervert but his pretty face and his difficult past seem to excuse the dangerousness of his behavior.
365 Dni done in slut-shaming
The character of Laura asserts herself, at the beginning, as someone of character. Faced with what his executioner imposes on him, the young woman initially struggles and provokes him. Locked up with him against her will, she decides to test Massimo's ability not to harm him, although it has already been done. But Stockholm Syndrome has clearly already started. Massimo loses patience. He threatens her: "Don't play that pretty girl. I've been used to taking things by force since my childhood. So I don't know how to play the good guys. Especially when a person refuses me the pleasure that I really want. Don't provoke me." The intimidation is real, the threats too. Massimo also frightens when he ties Laura to the bed and begs him to free her. Without being shy, once again, to touch his body he said to him: "I have access to all parts of your body and I can do what I want with it."
In addition to sexual assault, there is therefore intimidation and verbal abuse. The nightclub scene sheds more light on the ambient and trivialized sexism of this film. Laura is on the verge of being raped by a man on the dancefloor. Massimo defends her and finally gives her a soap. Indeed, if Laura almost got raped, it was his fault and the fault of no one else, according to the young man. For him, the young woman's outfit was far too provoking, so she would have looked for it. We are thus witnessing a deplorable slut-shaming. Laura feels humiliated and accuses her of blaming her and her outfit. But this little clash between the two characters lasts only two minutes and it will, ultimately, only trigger a crazy and romantic passion between them. Laura cracks, they make love for hours and begins a crazy idyll where promises and declarations of love occur as if sexual assault and humiliation never existed.
The omnipresent rape culture in this Netflix film
That's the whole problem of 365 Dni : the film paints a portrait of a narcissistic pervert. Massimo is dangerous, he is an aggressor. He positions Laura as his object and his victim while having a contradictory discourse … But what emerges from this story is nevertheless love. Result: we romanticize the brutality of a relationship as well as rape, physical and verbal assaults. 365 Dni is thus part of these films which contribute to the culture of rape. To trivialize an aggression, to idealize a narcissistic pervert and to forgive him his crimes for his dream plastic and his complicated past … It is all this which contributes to the culture of rape which, especially within pop culture, should be banished .