The 365 Days and 365 Days: This Day movies on Netflix are based on the books of the same name by Polish author Blanka Lipińska.
Netflix subscribers who are fans of the franchise will be pleased to know two things: there is a third book, and that a third film has already been made.
The Next 365 Days is the name of the third book. And if the movie follows its plot, a surprise twist will be introduced in the story of Massimo (played by Michele Morrone) and Laura (Anna-Maria Sieklucka). Here’s how.
What is the third 365 Days book about?
The official novel synopsis reads: “As the wife of Don Massimo Torricelli, one of the most dangerous Mafia bosses in Sicily, Laura’s life is a roller coaster. She is often at risk, the potential target of Massimo’s unscrupulous enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy the powerful man. And when Laura is seriously injured in an attack, pregnant and fighting to survive, Massimo faces the toughest decision of his life. What will his life be without Laura? Will he be able to raise their child alone? What will the fate of his family be, and whose 365 days may come to a close?”
This blurb, however, only reveals the details of the opening of the book, and things take a very different turn from there…
WARNING: The following contains major plot spoilers for the book of The Next 365 Days (and potential spoilers for the third 365 Days film).
The “attack” mentioned in the above synopsis is the one Netflix viewers got to see at the end of This Day, in which Laura is shot by Massimo’s ex, Anna (Natasza Urbańska). As such, Massimo is faced with a dilemma: does he save the life of Laura or their unborn child? In the book, he chooses the former.
Already, it seems there will be a departure from the book here. In the films, after all, Laura miscarried already, meaning that unless she got pregnant again they are sidestepping that particular minefield.
There is a big plot twist in the third book, however, that is very likely to feature in the final film in the trilogy of movies: Laura leaves Massimo to be with Nacho (Simone Susinna), Massimo’s rival crime boss.
Already, there has been some deviation between book and film in that regard. In the book, Laura falls in love with Nacho after he kidnaps her. Yes, that’s right: in the novels, Laura is kidnapped twice and falls in love with her kidnappers both times. The woman definitely has a type.
Though this kidnapping plot is not in This Day, this could actually be evidence that the movie Laura will end up with Nacho. After many 365 Days viewers criticized the first movie for the problematic elements of having Laura fall in love with her captor, her leaving to be with Nacho would allow the less troubling relationship to win out (even if the movie Nacho has his fair share of blood on his hands, too.)
365 Days and 365 Days: This Day are streaming now on Netflix.
