365 Days is trending in the top #10 categories in India on Netflix, the online streaming giant.
The synopsis or description for the movie goes as “A woman falls victim to a dominant mafia boss, who imprisons her and gives her one year to fall in love with him.”
Well, don’t be fooled by this vague description because the film has managed to reduce the description to a joke.
The film is absolutely bizarre right from the beginning. Directors Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes’s narrative for the film is pointless and reduces the film to nothing but a “Soft Porn”. Wait, let me take back the word “soft” and there you have it. That’s essentially what the film’s creatives have managed to make this film as a little version of “Bondage” or BDSM fantasy.
The film opens to a high drama of the lead protagonist Massimo’s (played by Michele Morrone) father’s death to a gun shot and his subsequent rise to the mafia throne stepping into his father’s shoes.
The film fails terribly in developing the actor’s character by exposing his true macho/mafia image only to receive blowjobs by women.
The plot that essentially moves around him abducting Laura, the lead, played by Anna Maria Sieklucka, described as the victim in the vague description above.
The film manages to belittle her character scene by scene, and thus, no where in the film will you notice the actress to be a victim.
Now let’s talk about the last part of the film’s description – “The mafia boss imprisoning her and giving her 365 days to fall in love with him.”
The very line above is a ‘laugh out loud’ expression once you have witnessed the film’s nearly 2-hour-long run time full of shoddy screenplay.
The Plot
Massimo abducts Laura and brings her to his glorious mansion. She is provided with all of the luxuries of the mansions inclusive of the designer dresses and shoes.
Massimo, in the bargain, asks her to fall in love with him in 365 days, failing which, she will be free to walk out.
Laura initially portrays the classic Damsel in Distress, and in the very next moment, we find her caressing the luxuries.
Now let’s talk the “love” part: well sadly so, the greatest emotion on earth is yet again plummeted to “sex” or physical intimacy in the movie.
Massimo’s idea of love is not to touch Laura’s body without her affirmation, i.e. he would sleep with her only when she consents. Massimo is often seen shirtless in the film trying the arouse intimacy with Laura, and Laura is no less. She joins in the fun. The film keep the sanity-flag held up high in one scene and disappoints the same in the very next scene.
The course of the film runs, and eventually both Massimo and Laura successfully consummate in an open display of their sexual fetishes.
Laura and Massimo are now in love and seek marriage, and a classic death of the mafia’s love interest, Laura, closes the film.
Now that you have understood the plot, let us focus on hyper-masculinity which is greatly the crux of the film. Massimo thinks that being a mafia, he has the power to abduct a girl beyond her wishes in the name of love. His callous sexual attitude towards women is clearly seen in the film where he uses women to give him a blowjob, with a ridiculous notion that it may attract Laura.
I am honestly appalled at the writers who do not think twice before etching such hyper-masculine characters. Given the fact that it is trending in the top 10 viewing list, it does make one wonder, do people actually like consuming toxic masculinity? Or have we made characters like ‘Kabir Singh’ our growing role models for the youth and thus, we are acceptable of people like “Massimo”.. . Well, I’ll leave it to your thoughts!!
My Verdict- 365 days is atrocious erotica served in the name of love.
Image Credits and Source- https://xfinity.officialtv.net/movie/664413/365-days.html