Scattered thoughts on 365 dni

Like many romance readers and writers, I had the 365 days movie on my calendar to watch, figuring it would be eye candy and no plot. 

For the most part, it met that expectation.

But I wasn’t prepared for how good the eye candy was. And how bothered I was by the uncomfortable scenes edging the lines (and sometimes crossing it) of consent.

Hands down, Michele Morrone is a gift to romance and erotica readers. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and dangerous. He physically embodies so many fictional heroes, with the tattoos and the jawline. He also nailed the tough a-hole falling in love and struggling to be tender. And he’s got really expressive eyes and a banging body. Plus the Italian accent.

So, yeah. Swoon.

(And I love to swoon.)

But I’m also a girl who loves consent. I always say that consent is what makes romances special and is the crucial defining moment separating it from sexual harassment. Seems obvious, but I love how most books take the time to have the characters nod in agreement.

I’m also a girl who is full of contradictions. I love dark romances, which are some of the best books I’ve ever read. (Check out Pam Godwin.) I also appreciate erotica and the simple fact that other people may have a different view of the world.

So.

Here, the movie is dark and he kidnaps her and … none of that is consensual. It feels like Stockholm Syndrome. I kind of don’t like writing that, though, because I want to be supportive of the romance genre, and there were many things about the movie that I loved and were superlative. (And he does give lip service to consent.)

We often love to read about assholes, but we don’t want to be anywhere near them in real life. So seeing it on the screen felt like a touch more real life than I wanted.

(Not the steamy scenes, though. Keep those in, please. Finally, we got some that hit the tone of romances. Yes, it veers into softcore, but it was more from a woman’s point of view than a man’s, and I think that’s the point.)

So I have very mixed feelings about the movie. I’m glad I watched it, and I’d watch it again. I want a supercut of all the good stuff, maybe set to music sung by Morrone. I thought the actors had sparking chemistry and the locations and production values were outstanding. But I was also confused about some plot points that seemed to pick up and be dropped, never to be picked up again. Maybe they’re in a later book.

And I had a fundamental icky feeling from the consent issue.

So, in my book, the movie is imperfect and perfect. I’m glad it exists. It leads a discussion about the scenes that are uncomfortable and lets us swoon over the scenes that aren’t. Simply put, I hope we get more from the two leads, and yeah, I’ll watch the sequel.

Credit: @iammichelemorroneofficial