Netflix defends '365 Days' film accused of glorifying rape and sex trafficking

Netflix has defended the controversial Polish film 365 Days (dni), after accusations that it was glorifying sex trafficking and rape.

The controversial film is based on a novel by Polish writer Blanka Lipińska, and it follows a young woman who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 365 days by a mafia boss infatuated with her.

After her attempts to escape fail and she gets to know her captor, she eventually falls in love with him.

The film holds a 0% critic’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been described by movie critics as “thoroughly terrible and politically objectionable”. 

According to entertainment news website Deadline, British singer Duffy, in a letter to Netflix’s CEO, said the movie was dangerous and called for the film’s withdrawal from the platform.

“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.

“Tragically, victims of trafficking and kidnapping are unseen, and yet in 365 Days their suffering is made into an erotic drama,” Duffy wrote.

There is also a petition to remove the film based on the claims that it glorifies Stockholm syndrome and sexual assault against women.

With more than 70,000 signatures, the petition said the film's availability on Netflix was a “mockery” for all victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

“One in four women experiences domestic violence in their life. And Netflix clearly stands on the side of the abusers by having a movie that glorifies, romanticises, and condones sexual assault trending on their top 10 recommended movies to watch around the globe, read the petition.

“For those who have watched it, we know [the main character] 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.”

The petition said the least Netflix could have done was to provide disclaimers about the sexual violence featured in the film and resources about consent, but now the film should be removed altogether.

“By taking down this movie on Netflix, we can protect sexual violence in adolescent women and adult women.”

In defence of the film, according to The Guardian, Netflix said it was not involved in its production, but only licensed it.

“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.”

On Twitter, some viewers of the film also expressed concerns. Here is a snapshot of what they had to say.