This article contains details of sexual abuse.
Duffy has criticised Netflix’s “irresponsible” decision to stream the film 365 Days, claiming it glamorises “the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape”.
Earlier this year, the Grammy-winning star shared an Instagram post in which she explained her years-long absence from the music industry, revealing she’d been drugged, kidnapped and then sexually abused a decade earlier.
In a letter to Netflix’s chief executive, Reed Hastings, Duffy said the streaming service’s decision to feature the film was “careless, insensitive, and dangerous”.
The film follows the imprisonment of a young Polish woman (played by Anna-Maria Sieklucka) by a Sicilian man (played by Michele Morrone) who gives her a year to fall in love with him, and features graphic depictions of BDSM.
“365 Days glamorises the brutal reality of sex trafficking, kidnapping and rape,” Duffy wrote.
“This should not be anyone’s idea of entertainment, nor should it be described as such, or be commercialised in this manner.
“I write these words (ones I cannot believe I am writing in 2020, with so much hope and progress gained in recent years), as an estimated 25 million people are currently trafficked around the world, not to mention the untold amounts of people uncounted.”
Duffy, whose full name is Aimee Anne Duffy, added: “It grieves me that Netflix provides a platform for such ‘cinema’, that eroticises kidnapping and distorts sexual violence and trafficking as a ‘sexy’ movie.
“I just can’t imagine how Netflix could overlook how careless, insensitive, and dangerous this is.
“It has even prompted some young women, recently, to jovially ask Michele Morrone, the lead actor in the film, to kidnap them.”
Duffy also urged Netflix and film-makers to produce and broadcast content that portrays “the truth of the harsh and desperate reality” of kidnap and rape.
365 Days was released at the Polish box office in February, debuting on Netflix last month. While it has been critically panned, it made the streaming service’s top three requested titles in various territories, including the UK and US.
Addressing the film’s fans, she added: “And because 365 Days has proved enormously popular, I also address this letter to viewers directly.
“I encourage the millions who have enjoyed the movie to reflect on the reality of kidnapping and trafficking, of force and sexual exploitation, and of an experience that is the polar opposite of the glossy fantasy depicted in 365 Days.”
Duffy previously told of how she was drugged at a restaurant on her birthday a decade ago, before being held against her will first at her own home, and later being taken to a foreign country.
At the time, she said she was sharing her story because we are living in “a hurting world”, saying: “I am no longer ashamed that something deeply hurt me, anymore. I believe that if you speak from the heart within you, the heart within others will answer.
“As dark as my story is, I do speak from my heart, for my life, and for the life of others, whom have suffered the same.
“I have no shame in telling you either I had spent almost ten years completely alone and it still burns my heart to write it. I owe it to myself to say it, I feel obliged to explain how challenging recovering truly was and to finally disclose it. I hope it comforts you to feel less ashamed if you feel alone.”
HuffPost UK has contacted a Netflix representative for comment and is awaiting a response.
- Rape Crisis services for women and girls who have been raped or have experienced sexual violence – 0808 802 9999
- Survivors UK offers support for men and boys – 0203 598 3898