If there’s one thing everyone involved in the film 365 Days wants you remember, it’s this: Nothing happening onscreen is real.
Since its arrival to Netflix in June, the racy Polish film has left viewers breathless thanks to its boundary-pushing sex scenes and controversial central romance. And we’re talking a lot of viewers. It’s become the first movie on the streaming service to have two multi-day periods as the No. 1 film in the U.S. since the chart was introduced in February with virtually zero promotion and, well, less-than-stellar reviews. Not only that, but it’s made it into the top three most-viewed projects in 26 other countries.
Clearly, its tapped into something that quarantined audiences have been craving, whether they even knew it or not.
Earning it comparisons to 50 Shades of Grey for more than just its soft-core porn approach, 365 Days is based on the first book in a trilogy written by Blanka Lipińska. The film tells the story of Laura Biel, a Polish woman kidnapped by Sicilian mafia Don Massimo Torricelli and given a year to fall in love with him before he’ll set her free. It also frequently features its stars Anna-Maria Sieklucka and Michele Morrone naked, engaged in sex scenes with chemistry so real it’s hard to distinguish if they’re even acting.
