365 Dni DP Explains How They Shot Those Steamy Love Scenes

Netflix subscribers don’t quite know what to make of 365 Dni, a Polish drama causing a lot of buzz online for its numerous sex scenes between a crime boss and the woman who he takes hostage, giving her 365 days to fall in love with him.

Also known simply as 365 Days, the pic has been responsible for some considerable controversy lately as, quite frankly, it makes Fifty Shades of Grey look like a PG movie. Yes, the love scenes are that intense and racy and have many wondering just how they filmed them.

Well, speaking to Variety in a recent interview, cinematographer Bartek Cierlica opened up on that very topic. When asked about the BDSM scene in particular, Cierlica had this to say:

Each sex scene in this movie is different. The relationship evolves. It starts with fear of the unknown and temptation. It evolves through pure sex with BDSM and ends with love. The main idea was to create the rising tension between the two heroes starting from their first meeting. We wanted the viewer to participate in playing the game that Laura tries to play with Massimo and discover her sexuality and sensuality with her.

Variety also asked about the general strategy behind shooting scenes like this, and Cierlica said:

We wanted the camera to be as much invisible as possible, to let them act, so indeed the takes were very, very long. We created the most intimate atmosphere we could for the actors. We reduced the on-set crew to an absolute minimum. As it was handheld I was following their action, and trying to show their passion in a natural but beautiful way. We wanted this sex to be pretty authentic. We wanted the viewer to hear their whispers, heavy breaths and we wanted to show the sweat, passion. Be natural, authentic, but not to cross the border of pornography.

As for the conversations that the cinematographer had with director Barbara Białowąs, Cierlica shared the following:

We had a lot of conversations with both directors — Barbara Białowąs and Tomasz Mandes. We had a few important goals. We didn’t want to create porn, but at the same time, we wanted to do justice to the book that is pretty full of very intimate and passionate sex descriptions. I knew that as a DP I was walking on very thin ice. It is always a big challenge when you have to bring to life a story that people know and have their idea about. Here the challenge was doubled — how to make it seductive and erotic within the borders of general good taste and my aesthetic.

At the beginning of their acquaintance, I was distanced and objective when portraying them, but the more intense their relationship became the more I immersed into their emotions and passion and their facial expressions.

That’s certainly some interesting insight there and no doubt, fans will appreciate getting some sort of idea of what goes into creating a movie like this. Which is probably unlike anything American audiences have ever seen before. Like we said above, Fifty Shades has nothing on it. At least, when it comes to the love scenes.

Believe it or not though, 365 Dni actually makes Fifty Shades look like an Oscar winner when it comes to plot and writing, and even the acting for the most part. But of course, no one’s flipping on 365 Dni and expecting a brilliant script and tour de force performances. And if they are, then they’ve definitely chosen the wrong film to watch.

Tell us, though, have you had a chance to dive into Netflix’s latest sensation yet? As always, take to the comments section down below and let us know.