MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'365 Days: This Day': Netflix slammed for making SEQUEL to movie 'promoting rape culture'

Singer Duffy wrote a letter to Netflix CEO, stating '365 Days glamorizes the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping, and rape'

Netflix has released the trailer for the sequel to steamy 2020 film 365 Days' sequel, titled '365 Days: This Day', two years after the first part was slammed for glorifying abuse, rape, and sex trafficking. Though the film was blasted for its controversial content, it became a huge hit when it was released in June 2020, as people could not stop talking about it. After the trailer was released, many took to Twitter to slam Netflix for making a sequel to a movie that 'promotes rape culture'.

Internet users and critics were not the only ones who called out the themes of the film. Singer Duffy, who has publicly spoken about being kidnapped and raped, wrote a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings that said, "365 Days glamorizes the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping, and rape. This should not be anyone's idea of entertainment, nor should it be described as such, or be commercialized in this manner."

READ MORE

'365 Days: This Day': Netflix releases trailer for controversial sequel, fans feel it's 'worst'

'365 DNI': Move over 'Fifty Shades of Grey', say fans who label Netflix's new film as 'porn'

The letter, obtained by Deadline, continued, "It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such 'cinema,' that eroticises kidnapping and distorts sexual violence and trafficking as a 'sexy' movie. I just can't imagine how Netflix could overlook how careless, insensitive, and dangerous this is. It has even prompted some young women, recently, to jovially ask Michele Morrone, the lead actor in the film, to kidnap them."

"You have not realized how '365 Days' has brought great hurt to those who have endured the pains and horrors that this film glamorizes, for entertainment and for dollars. What I and others who know these injustices need is the exact opposite – a narrative of truth, hope, and to be given a voice. When we know better, let us do better. Duffy," the letter concluded.

"Netflix gave us 365 Days which basically promoted kidnapping, Stockholm Syndrome, rape and abuse and now a movie about 11 y/os that is supposedly a coming of age but just opens children up to pedophilla," one user had tweeted, another said, "365 days on netflix promotes rape culture, why aren't they getting any slack for airing such a vile concept of a film. didn't think anything could be worse than fifty shades but here we are."

Multiple petitions were also started against the film, one of which reads, "1 in 4 women experiences domestic violence in their life. And Netflix clearly stands on the side of the abusers by having a movie that glorifies, romanticizes, and condones sexual assault trending on their top 10 recommended movies to watch around the globe. Victims of sexual assault are done being complacent in a culture where assault and rape perpetrators are not getting held accountable for their criminal actions."

"For those who have watched it, we know he talks about child trafficking, sedates her, imprisons her, sexually assaults her, and has sexual relations with her without consent. The main character also uses abuse tactics such as gaslighting, coercion, reproductive coercion, and Stockholm Syndrome to financially, physically, sexually, emotionally, and digitally abuse the woman he had taken. To our terribly corrupt culture, it looks like another 'steamy' and sexy love story," the petition further says.

Despite all the backlash, '365 Days: This Day' releases on April 27, and the new trailer promises passionate and erotic scenes. "Laura and Massimo are back. The movie #365DaysThisDay arrives on April 27," reads the tweet by Netflix Espana. "For the legion of 365 Days fans who propelled the Netflix film into the Top 10 in over 90 countries around the world, the story of Laura and Massimo ended on a cliffhanger," the press release by Netflix dated April 7 states.

"On April 27th, the wait is over. The beautiful, feisty and smart Laura (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) is back with handsome mob boss Massimo (Michele Morrone) and, as always, erotic sparks fly between these two passionate lovers in 365 Days: This Day," it continues. The release adds that the film includes, "More extraordinarily steamy encounters along with bitter jealousy and dangerous betrayals as Laura and Massimo’s new beginning is complicated by Massimo's family ties and a mysterious man who enters Laura’s life to win her heart and trust, at any cost."

After the outrage by people, a spokesman for Netflix told The Guardian, "We believe strongly in giving our members around the world more choice and control over their Netflix viewing experience. Members can choose what they do and do not want to watch by setting maturity filters at a profile level and removing specific titles to protect from content they feel is too mature."