Best Movies Like 365 Days

A Polish romantic thriller that came to Netflix in 2020, 365 Days (or 365 Dni, its Polish title) was an unexpectedly massive international hit, ranking comfortably among the platform’s most-viewed films at the time. Now, admittedly, the story did not garner a particularly positive reception from critics; in fact, it was fairly quickly labeled as an all-time terrible movie. Yet, 365 Days was undeniably successful, to the point of inspiring a 2022 sequel called 365 Days: This Day. During that same year, the trilogy was completed with the arrival of The Next 365 Days, and all three movies are still readily available on Netflix.

Massimo and Laura’s European escapades balance SOAP-style drama with eroticism and taboo power dynamics. These movies are effectively the equivalent of trashy romance novellas, and while they might not be for everyone, they can scratch an itch that most other films ignore. Surprisingly, there are not all that many movies like 365 Days, but the following films should be good alternatives.

Updated August 13, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Two more films like 365 Days have been added, although we’ve gone for something a bit different this time. Rather than highlighting lesser-known modern thrillers, we’ve gone for two fairly mainstream releases, albeit ones that are pretty provocative in their own right. Click below to jump to them:

27

Lost Girls & Love Hotels

A Yakuza Romance In Tokyo

Lost Girls & Love Hotels is a fascinating movie about an American expat who works in Tokyo as a teacher for flight attendants, educating them on the basics of English safety protocols. Margaret leads a listless and directionless life, one that she seems to have little control over. The movie, in general, has this almost dream-like element to it, especially in the fragmented nature of its storytelling.

The main hook that might appeal to 365 Days fans is that Margaret becomes enamored with a Yakuza member named Kazu, and they start dating. This relationship serves to drive the protagonist’s development, but the story always remains about her journey rather than the romance. Kazu is fairly interesting and has great chemistry with the lead, but he is mostly only seen through Margaret’s eyes.

26

Eyes Wide Shut

A Twisted Tale Of Secrecy & Sex

Stanley Kubrick is a master of his craft, and it’s a shame that he didn’t manage to complete his editing process on Eyes Wide Shut before meeting an untimely demise that rocked the entire filmmaking world to its core. To this day, the director is touted by many as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, and people are still influenced by his work and hold it to an extremely high standard that very few people have managed to reach.

Eyes Wide Shut is an erotic psychological thriller that focuses on the exploits of a couple who deal with marital issues of their own while toying around with the concept of infidelity in many unique ways. The movie almost feels surreal in certain instances, making for an intense watch, and shows just how much of a master Kubrick was of his craft, relentlessly editing the movie days before his death.

25

The Boy Next Door

A Campy Thriller With A Fun Performance By Jennifer Lopez

365 Days is built on a lopsided power dynamic, and The Boy Next Door goes down a somewhat similar route, albeit slightly more taboo. While going through personal trauma, Jennifer Lopez’s Claire, a teacher, finds herself in the arms of Noah, who she eventually learns is still a high school student. This moment spirals into pure chaos, with Claire quickly realizing that Noah is a very dangerous person.

OK, The Boy Next Door‘s teacher-student dynamic is not as taboo as it sounds since Noah is painted as being around 20, which does reduce the yuck factor to an extent. The movie is also fairly campy without being straight-up silly, and it is bolstered by a pretty great performance by Jennifer Lopez.

24

Indecent Proposal

Award-Winning Controversy

I wasn’t quite sure whether to include Indecent Proposal, as it is really nothing like 365 Days; however, they both deal with sex, power dynamics, and controversy. Honestly, the former was way more controversial than the latter, as Indecent Proposal features A-list celebrities like Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson. The 1993 flick got nominated for quite a few awards, although half of them were of the Razzie and Stinkers variety. So, the film was not to everyone’s liking, but it does make for a rather fascinating watch.

So, what is the story about? Well, you can probably guess from the title, but let’s just say that a young and down-on-their-luck couple receives a proposal from a wealthy guy. The latter offers them a way out of their current misery, but he knows that their decision is fueled by desperation. Indecent Proposal has pretty good acting (ignore the Razzies), who make the most out of a messy story that brings up some big topics but does not quite know how to do justice to them. Indecent Proposal is not “turn off your brain” entertaining like 365 Days, but it is captivating.

23

Girls To Buy

A Journey Into A Dark Industry

A Polish movie, Girls to Buy follows Emi, a young woman who goes on a wild trip and ends up attracted by the allure of the sex worker industry, seeing it as a road to riches and power. She is drawn to this world by Sam, a guy who knows exactly what to say to convince impressionable women like Emi to do what he wants.

Now, Girls to Buy is quite a different experience from 365 Days, and it is arguably not that much of an erotic thriller. While certainly packed with scenes devoted to showing the “appeal” of this lifestyle, the movie also shines a light on the dark underbelly hidden by expensive apartments and fancy clothes.

22

Beastly

A YA Take On Beauty And The Beast

Beauty and the Beast shares a few similarities with 365 Days. Both stories involve the male protagonist keeping the female lead hostage, with the hope of inspiring the latter to fall in love with them (more so in 365 Days, but the Beast wants to feel true love too). As similar as their premises are, I cannot specifically recommend the Disney classic or live-action remake to 365 Dni fans since they are still very different experiences, although the animated movie is a masterpiece that should be watched by everyone.

However, Beastly can scratch a similar itch as 365 Days, in the sense that both films are PERFECT for cheesy romance nights where entertainment is the main goal. Featuring a pretty great early 2010s cast, Beastly offers a modern take on Beauty and the Beast, albeit with the kidnapping element removed from the equation. Is the film great? Eh, not necessarily, but it is messy in a really fun way.

21

Wild Things

The Movie Everyone Wanted To See (In The 90s)

365 Days was popular and accessible by modern Netflix standards, but its shadow is nowhere near as long as 1998’s Wild Things. During that era, this movie felt inescapable for a while. Nowadays, the film exists in infamy, being primarily known for a few scenes and visuals rather than as a cult classic that needs to be revisited by contemporary audiences. Promoted as a risqué thriller featuring some of the decade’s most marketable young stars, Wild Things proves that certain topics will always and forever sell. It wasn’t a huge hit by any stretch of the imagination, but it did well at the box office before finding a healthy life as a rental.

Now, just to be clear, Wild Things‘ story is nothing like 365 Days, so don’t go in expecting a European romp. However, the plots are not really that important in these movies, as their selling point is their ability to provoke and make you uncomfortable under the collar. Wild Things shines in that area, weaving a yarn defined by intrigue, manipulation, and awful, awful people (who are wildly entertaining).

20

Indiscretion

Fun & Sordid

A movie that combines a bunch of steamy scenes with a political thriller, Indiscretion is a unique blend of genres that fans of 365 Days will have a great time with. The movie’s setup deals with the wife of a politician who ends up having an affair with a young artist, only for things to spiral out of control after the man ends up developing a dangerous obsession with her.

It may not be a mind-blowing movie by any stretch of the imagination, but Indiscretion is a great choice for a couple looking for a more raunchy movie to watch over the weekend. The shots are decent, the plot gets the job done, and the actors succeed in convincing the audience just how crazy they are for each other throughout the movie’s runtime.

19

Gigli

A Legendary Bad Movie

While certainly enjoyable as just a straightforward European dark romance, 365 Days can also fall under the “so bad, it’s good” territory, making it a valid candidate to throw on when you are just looking to laugh at the silliness on screen. Cinema’s history is full of confusing projects that tried to reach the stars but only managed to smack the ground, and Gigli is one of the more famous examples of a box office misfire. Famous for bringing Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck together as a real couple, the 2003 movie was absolutely torn apart by critics and, frankly, even audiences, inspiring a legacy that puts it in the same category as something like The Room.

Although their stories are very different, both 365 Days and Gigli revolve around a kidnapping and a couple who gradually fall for each other, with the guy driving most of the relationship forward. More importantly, both films laugh in the face of good taste and cross the line into absurdity often.

18

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

A More Artistic Option

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a unique movie that hooks viewers in from the get-go, featuring two young women who go on a trip to Barcelona and get enamored with an interesting man named Juan Antonio who offers to court them both for the night. However, it turns out that Juan has a crazy ex-wife who is still hopelessly in love with him…and this feeling is mutual, as the movie slowly progresses and explores their unique relationship.

The movie can be pretty funny, with its steamier scenes handled with great delicacy. The cast is also quite talented, with the trio of Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, and Penélope Cruz doing great justice to their characters and showing off the wealth of talents at their disposal.