Demonlover Details

This combination of cyber-thriller and capitalist condemnation marks a decided change of pace for Olivier Assayas. It begins inticingly, as Paris-based executive Connie Nielsen displays a ruthless streak in negotiating a lucrative deal with a Japanese animation studio specialising in 3-D pornography. But the narrative spirals out of control following an eye-popping sampling of animé ingenuity. Nielsen's duels with assistant Chloë Sevigny and bitter rival Gina Gershon become increasingly implausible, while her liaison with colleague Charles Berling is left hanging. Denis Lenoir's photography remains impressive, but the denouement, involving an online torture chamber, smacks of sensationalism and unfocused script and character development.

Background is a three-cornered fight for international control of Japanese anime. Nielsen is a stonily efficient... read more on Time Out