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‘Careless and dangerous’: Duffy condemns Netflix for showing erotic kidnapping thriller 365 days

Singer revealed earlier this year that she was abducted and raped

Ellie Harrison
Thursday 02 July 2020 14:48 BST
Duffy says she was ‘raped, drugged and held captive for days’ in public statement

Duffy has written an open letter to Netflix, condemning the streaming service for broadcasting the controversial film 365 Days.

The Polish movie, which has been described by some as “softcore porn”, follows a woman who is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a member of a Mafia family, who gives her one year to fall in love with him while she is held captive.

It has been the subject of much controversy, with many accusing it of eroticising Stockholm syndrome. A petition calling for its removal from Netflix states that the film “perpetuates the glamorisation of rape culture”.

Now Duffy, who earlier this year went public with her own experience of being drugged, kidnapped, trafficked and raped, has fiercely criticised Netflix for airing 365 Days.

In the letter, the Grammy-winning singer outlined that the movie treats “the serious crime of kidnapping and sex trafficking” as “erotic entertainment”.

She wrote: “I just can’t imagine how Netflix could overlook how careless, insensitive, and dangerous this is…

“We all know Netflix would not host material glamorising paedophilia, racism, homophobia, genocide, or any other crimes against humanity. The world would rightly rise up and scream. Tragically, victims of trafficking and kidnapping are unseen, and yet in 365 Days their suffering is made into an ‘erotic drama’.”

Fans of 365 Days have recently been seen “pleading” to the leading actor Michele Morrone to kidnap them, to which Duffy responded by telling those viewers that the real experience is the ”polar opposite of the glossy fantasy depicted”.

Duffy urged Netflix to commit the company’s resources to producing content that shows “the harsh and desperate reality” of kidnapping and sex trafficking.

The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.

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