Netflix’s 365 Days trilogy is a series of erotic dramas based on the novels by Blanka Lipińska. The films follow the turbulent relationship between Laura, a Polish woman who is kidnapped by Massimo, a Sicilian mafia boss who gives her 365 days to fall in love with him. The first film, 365 Days, was released in 2020 and became a viral sensation on Netflix, despite being widely panned by critics and viewers alike. The film drew parallels with the 2015 erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey, but was criticised for romanticising kidnapping and rape1. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes collected 16 reviews and identified 0% of them as positive, with an average rating of 1.9/102.
The sequel, 365 Days: This Day, was released in 2022 and continued the story of Laura and Massimo, who face new challenges and threats from Massimo’s family and rivals. The film also introduced a new love interest for Laura, Nacho, a Spanish model who works for Massimo’s enemy. The film was met with even more negative reviews than the first one, with critics calling it “piping hot trash”3, “barely a movie”4, and “an even more loathsome and vapid entity”5. Rotten Tomatoes recorded 17 reviews and none of them were positive, resulting in another 0% score and an average rating of 1.8/104.
The third and final film, 365 Days: The Next Day, was released in 2023 and wrapped up the saga of Laura and Massimo, who have to deal with the consequences of their choices and actions. The film also featured a cameo appearance by Jennifer Lopez as Massimo’s ex-girlfriend. The film received only two critical reviews so far, both of them negative, giving it a provisional score of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. One critic described it as “the emotionally bankrupt id of late capitalism, a braindead miasma of choreographed sex”3, while the other said it was “the kind of movie you fast forward to get to all the good parts, only to realize that there are no good parts”.
With three consecutive films scoring zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the 365 Days trilogy has set a rare and dubious record for being the worst reviewed trilogy on the website. It is possible that no other trilogy has ever achieved this feat before, or ever will again. The films have been widely condemned for their poor quality, problematic portrayal of romance, and lack of artistic merit. However, they have also attracted a large fan base who enjoy them for their explicit sex scenes, attractive leads, and melodramatic plot twists. Whether one loves them or hates them, the 365 Days trilogy has certainly made an impact on the world of cinema.