With this film, Olivier Assayas proves that he can do a gripping, modern, neonoir thriller - as well as a relationship tale, or a family drama, the kinds of things he has mostly done in his career. It starts off well enough, an enigmatic tale of industrial espionage in the world of digital media. There is some sort of competition going on between a French company, an American company, and a Japanese company that may or not be producing an extreme, and extremely successful, hardcore S&M website. An icey, beautiful woman, played by Connie Nielsen, is some sort of spy, and the film begins with her poisoning her boss and taking her spot. She is being paid and supported by an older Frenchman, but his role in the situation is unclear. And that is about all the sense I could make out of it, as the storyline began to crumble, Lost Highway/Mulholland Drive style. There follow sexual liaisons, thefts, bloodshed, a rape, a couple of murders, double crosses, and a kidnapping - and none of it adds up. I grew to really despise the reptilian main character. The story is a mess, which is a shame, because this is a visually thrilling flick, with some very cool atmospherics, and a soundtrack by Sonic Youth.
Review of Demonlover
