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 February 24, 2026 by Mark Sammut: Three new movies have been added: Deep Water, Unfaithful, and Malicious.

Quick Picks: Best Movies Like 365 Days To Watch Right Now

While we will dive deep into the individual movies, this section seeks to streamline the information and just provide recommendations for specific preferences. If you are just looking for a film to watch right now, the following table should hopefully get you going.

After

A Rough Relationship

After is less preoccupied with explicit scenes and focuses more on the loving, tumultuous relationship between the young, inexperienced Tessa and bad boy Hardin. While the book this adaptation came from was originally a piece of fan fiction about One Direction, that hasn’t limited the movie's success. After all, many of the most generic rom-coms are great ones.

Whether the movie’s writing is up to scratch is up for debate among fans and critics, but if anyone hasn’t seen it yet, After works well as a shut off your brain type movie (and the same goes for its sequels). There are plenty of steamy scenes to please 365 Days fans as well.

Amar

Intense Love

A Spanish movie about a complicated, intense relationship that lasts for one year, Amar deals with Laura and Carlos. The pair decides to love each other as if every day were their last together, and Laura dreams of becoming pregnant one day as she breaks away from her previous life.

While Amar focuses greatly on the relationship between these two people, it also has a great number of steamier sex scenes that audiences were thrilled by when it was first released in 2017. It's also got a similarly European vibe to 365 Days, dealing with the intensity of the sudden relationship.

Deep Water

Ben Affleck And Ana de Armas In A Flawed But Fun Thriller

Garnering a pretty mixed response, Deep Water is still well worth a watch, especially for anybody craving stories about toxic relationships. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas star as Vic and Melinda, respectively, and they have a unique rule: Melinda can take on lovers. Vic seems OK with it, but things become a bit complicated when some of her partners begin to disappear. Although not as unusual as Massimo and Laura's relationship, the couple's arrangement is still provocative and seemingly built on psychological games. Nothing about it is healthy.

With two big-name actors and a glossy aesthetic that matches 365 Days' depiction of luxury, Deep Water is polished, messy, and entertaining. Melinda and Vic's dynamic is fascinating, as their power struggle goes well beyond intimacy and touches nearly every facade.

Through My Window

Sordid Trilogy

Another Spanish movie, Through My Window deals with a couple that fans of 365 Days will love. Raquel is a teenage girl obsessed with Ares, one of the three heirs to a huge company, who lives in a mansion next to her house.

When their lives become entangled, Raquel goes after what she wants, and they end up together, though a series of petty arguments slows the progress of their relationship. However, Through My Window doesn’t shy away from many moments of steamy glances, which evolve by the end of the second act into the kind of steamy scenes fans of 365 Days will cherish. While it may not be one of the best recent comedies out there, it is a fun and interesting movie.

Through My Window also has sequels.

Gabriel's Inferno (& Sequels)

An Epic & Lengthy Romance

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  Gabriel's Inferno

  Romance

  Drama

  Release Date

  May 29, 2020

  Runtime

  122 minutes

  Director

  Tosca Musk

  Cast

  Giulio Berruti, Melanie Zanetti, Kurt McKinney, Agnes Albright, Margaux Brooke, Ned Van Zandt

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  Gabriel's Inferno: Part II

  R

  Romance

  Drama

  Release Date

  July 31, 2020

  Runtime

  105 minutes

  Director

  Tosca Musk

  Cast

  Giulio Berruti, Melanie Zanetti, James Andrew Fraser, Margaux Brooke, Agnes Albright, Purva Bedi, Sahar Bibiyan, Cedric Cannon, Ned Van Zandt

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• 

  Gabriel's Inferno: Part III

  R

  Romance

  Drama

  Release Date

  November 19, 2020

  Runtime

  105 minutes

  Director

  Tosca Musk

  Cast

  Giulio Berruti, Melanie Zanetti, Rhett Wellington Ramirez, James Andrew Fraser, Margaux Brooke, Agnes Albright, Pat Asanti, Julia Barrett-Mitchell

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Now, here is a romance that should keep 365 Days fans busy for a while. Including Gabriel's Rapture and Gabriel's Redemption, this franchise has produced nine movies, all of which are based on books by Sylvain Reynard. The story is not done yet either, as Gabriel's Promise is still waiting to be adapted, which could result in another trilogy. While not quite as cinematic as some alternatives, these films are fairly consistent; consequently, if the first entry hits the mark with a viewer, they are likely to enjoy the rest.

This time around, the taboo relationship involves a university professor and his student, with Giulio Berruti and Melanie Zanetti portraying these roles, respectively. Linked together through a past that they cannot quite leave behind, these two reconnect in a collision that could bring both pleasure and pain. Their relationship develops quite a lot throughout the series, and the leads have more than enough chemistry to carry the story.

Overboard (1987)

A Very '80s Comedy

365 Days is built around an unusual power dynamic and a readiness to reject reality in search of a purely fantastical premise. While the story and tone are wildly different, Overboard has some similar elements, with the movie also featuring a guy who manipulates a woman into a relationship. Goldie Hawn's Joanna is defined by her privilege, and she treats people terribly, including Kurt Russell's Dean, a widowed carpenter. Through a series of comical events, Joanna loses her memories, and Dean convinces her that they are married, using this opportunity to get some revenge.

OK, so Overboard's premise is what it is, and it definitely requires a suspension of disbelief to go along with the ride. That said, Russell and Hawn have RIDICULOUS chemistry, making for a fun dynamic that is still a blast today. Unlike 365 Days, Overboard is an intentional comedy that embraces its situation's absurdity, never taking itself seriously in the process.

If you want a gender-swapped version of this story, 2018's Overboard does just that. The original is better, though.

Malicious (1995)

Molly Ringwald And A Scandalous Romance

Here is a '90s thriller that is mostly forgotten nowadays, and it wasn't a particularly big deal when it was originally released. While I would never describe it as great, Malicious is entertaining in the same way as a late-night C-grade thriller that you kind of enjoy in spite of yourself. Also, it stars Molly Ringwald, who is a blast as always. A college professor begins a fling with an adult student that quickly turns sour when the latter becomes manipulative and dangerous, threatening to ruin the former's life.

365 Days is about a power imbalance, and Malicious goes down the same route, albeit in a very different way. Obviously, the relationship is ethically inappropriate due to their roles, a fact that the student uses to her advantage to psychologically manipulate her teacher. Sexuality is weaponized in both movies, depicting desire as something that isn't safe. More importantly, Malicious is very pulpy and melodramatic, so it can scratch the same itch as 365 Days.

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.

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.

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.