The head of a parental TV watchdog group is calling on Netflix to remove from its lineup “365 Days,” a graphic Polish film about a woman imprisoned for a year, ostensibly as a concubine.
“If Netflix does not immediately remove this film from its platform and stop profiting from this pro-sex trafficking, pro-rape, and pro-kidnapping film, we will take our concerns to your Board of Directors and, if necessary, directly to the shareholders,” Timothy F. Winter, president of the Parents Television Council, wrote in a letter that was shared with The Washington Times.
Criticism has been broad for “365 Days,” a sexually graphic film that has become one of the streaming service’s biggest summer hits.
Based on a book by the same name, the film focuses on a mafia boss’s son who kidnaps a Polish woman, promising that she will fall in love with him in a year.
Welsh singer Duffy, who this year revealed she’d been the victim of sexual assault and kidnapping, published an open letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings saying the film “glamorizes the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape.”
“This should not be anyone’s idea of entertainment,” the pop singer wrote.
The Atlantic referred to the film as “shallow,” and the New York Times noted that the film has been “critically panned.” A Change.org petion campaign for Netflix to pull the film has generated more 80,000 signatures online.
In Mr. Winter’s letter, he notes previous shows airing on Netflix that gained criticism for sexually graphic or disturbing scenes, such as “13 Reasons Why” and “Big Mouth.” But he calls “365 Days” “an all-time low.”
Netflix has not responded to a request for comment.
• Christopher Vondracek can be reached at cvondracek@washingtontimes.com.
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