Netflix has refused to remove hit film 365 Days following criticism and a petition stating the film “perpetuates the glamourisation of rape culture”.
One fierce critic of the Polish film was Welsh singer Duffy, who wrote an open letter to the streaming service condemning it as “careless and dangerous”.
“It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such ‘cinema’, that eroticises kidnapping and distorts sexual violence and trafficking as a ‘sexy’ movie,” she wrote.
Earlier this year, Duffy went public with her own ordeal of being drugged, raped and held captive.
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.
She is then given one year to fall in love with him while she is held captive.
A petition calling for the film to be removed has exceeded 7,000 signatures.
While a Netflix spokesperson did not comment directly on the criticism levied against 365 Days, they did point to the film’s inclusion of a caution for violence, sex and nudity.
They also detached themselves from the film’s production, highlighting the fact it was licensed from Poland where it was released theatrically in February.
“We believe strongly in giving our members around the world more choice and control over their Netflix viewing experience,” the spokesperson told The Guardian.
“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.”
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 singer opened up about her own experience, which prompted her to vanish from the spotlight after releasing her second record in 2010.
She said she was revealing details for the first time because she is “tired of hiding” and of “allowing the rape to become a companion”.
If you’ve been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support: www.rapecrisis.org.uk
