neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Demonlover
	Olivier Assayas Connie Nielsen, Charles Berling, Chloë Sevigny, Gina Gershon, Jean-Baptiste Malartre, Dominique Reymond 2002		With its high-tech gloss, electro-rock soundtrack, lurid pornographic elements and enigmatic, shifting alliances, "Demonlover" — from French writer/director Olivier Assayas ("Irma Vep") — should be more exciting and involving than it is. The film is set up like a post-modern thriller about corporate espionage in today's cyber-linked global economy. It also goes for shock value when it suggests the soul-snatching pitfalls of our technological society. But plot gaps, a variable tone, and Assayas' decision to avoid conventional storytelling create a chilly detachment from what's on screen. A lot of thought was put into "Demonlover," and its international cast, featuring Denmark's Connie Nielsen ("Gladiator"), France's Charles Berling ("Ridicule") and America's Chloé Sevigny ("Boys Don't Cry") and Gina Gershon ("Bound"), adds luster, not clarity. Diane (Nielsen), Hervé (Berling) and Elise (Sevigny) work for a Paris-based company about to acquire a Japanese animation studio that makes cartoon porn, in order to license the material to one of two competing Web firms. A covert payoff may affect the outcome of the negotiations. An S & M fantasy Web site figures into the denouement, too — if anyone cares.