365 Dni: My Review
A kidnap. An intense declaration of love. An ultimatum. A whirlpool of romance and a lavish display of love. A messy world that lulled a-not-so-naïve sales director in. A marriage proposal. A murder?
These lines can be used to summarize the Polish movie 365 Dni (translated to 365 Days in English) directed by Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes.
The Story Line
“Are you lost baby girl?”
365 Dni is a 2020 drama and erotic movie that tells the story of Massimo Torricelli, the head of a Sicilian mafia family and Laura, a Polish sales director. The two cross paths in Sicily as Laura is in Sicily to celebrate her 29th birthday as well as salvage her relationship with her boyfriend Martin.
However, things go awry as Massimo kidnaps her and gives her an ultimatum of 365 days to fall in love with him. It is inferred in the movie that he had seen her 5 years prior to their initial meet on night of her birthday and he had been actively searching for her.
Laura was initially bent on not falling in love with Massimo and even sexually provokes him whenever she had the chance seeing as he had promised never to touch her without her permission (what a gentleman!). The two play the sexual power game but it is visible to viewers that Laura is sexually attracted to Massimo. One reason would be his obvious affection for her; the other could also be her obvious sexual starvation.
Massimo shows Laura the perks of being his woman and it is seen that though the sex was great, there were still sides of him he couldn’t bring himself to tell her and keep her from knowing too. She, however, wants to be more than just the woman he is having great sex with.
The movie continues on a happy note; Massimo proposing to her, he meeting her parents and she even begins planning their wedding. When she discovers she’s pregnant with his baby, she intends to tell him during a romantic dinner he got planned for them. Meanwhile, Mario (Massimo’s right hand man) gets a call that Laura is to be killed. He, however, couldn’t reach any of them as they are on a call with each other.
The movie ends with the car conveying Laura and her best friend entering a tunnel but never leaving it. Viewers are made to believe that something terrible may have happened to Laura inside that tunnel.
The Central Theme
The major theme I could glean from the movie was love. Every single person on earth is deserving of love and should strive to go out there and get it. However, be quite aware that love is quite professed in various forms as depicted by the characters in this movie. So, in your pursuit of happiness and love, look for the love that complements your strength and hides your weaknesses.
Other themes depicted in the movie are;
Honesty
Although Massimo skimmed over the most important of his line of work which included having enemies from various parts and endangering anyone he might fall in love with. The danger part was not spelt out fully for Laura. I am certain he believed that he would always protect her. That is one of the duties of every gentleman in the life of a woman. Sadly, we are humans; teleportation isn’t a gift of ours. The way Laura behaved at some points in the movie just went to show that she wasn’t aware that every action had a deep repercussion which actually ends in the death of someone.
The Brevity of Life
No one knows when death is going to come knocking at their door. I felt so sad that Massimo had no idea that he was a father. That realization would have broken him further- losing both his love and his child in one day but then, I am not a fan of putting till tomorrow what you can say today.
So, this one can apply to you. Is there someone you want to be honest with? You don’t want to be stuck in the had-I-known bubble for the rest of your life. No matter the outcome, you need to know that at least you did something. Time isn’t your friend sadly.
The acting
The chemistry between both actors was sizzling. Michele Morrone who played Massimo and Anna Maria Sieklucka who played Laura did an amazing job in bringing to life these two characters. The supporting cast did a great job too. If the idea was to depict how hot and steamy love is to be between two young people, they did a great job of showing us just how to be in a raunchy relationship. Massimo even knows how to dance! Like isn’t he the dream guy of every girl.
The Choice of Songs
I don’t think my review will be complete without giving kudos to the music department for this movie. The songs used during the sex scenes were on point! You are aware Massimo is dominant and controlling. These songs show you exactly how dominant he is.
I recommend you check out the playlist on YouTube and have a listen. Michele Morrone who portrays Massimo also lent his vocals in some of the songs used in the movie.
My favourite song in the list is I see Red by Everybody Loves an Outlaw
Recommendations
The movie had a romance novel vibe to it. Yeah, the romance and lovey dovey seemed cliché because I knew she was going to fall in love with him. The only curve I loved is the last scene where there seemed to be an accident. I believe that Laura is alive and captured by either one of his enemies or Anna; his ex.
Whichever way it turns out, I am sure you believe that there will be a sequel to this movie. Are you excited for it?
Overall rating
I am giving this movie 5 out of 10. To be very honest, I am not a fan of comparisons; however, I couldn’t help but notice some similarities to Fifty Shades of Grey. Did you also notice some too? Please drop them in the comment section let’s discuss about them.
So, that concludes my review for 365 Dni.
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