Demonlover

Two high-tech companies are competing for the leading role in the lucrative 3D internet erotic market – using unscrupulous methods, economic espionage and deadly intrigue. Right in the middle of it all is Diane de Monx (Connie Nielsen), a cold-hearted and ambitious assistant at the French Volf Corporation. She finds herself caught in an opaque web of power games and manipulation. Driven by Sonic Youth’s hypnotic score, Demonlover returns in a new 2K restoration of the 121-minute director’s cut. To take the lead, Diane travels to Tokyo to close a multi-million dollar deal with TokyoAnime, a leading company in erotic manga animation. The acquisition seems to be going smoothly – until Volf-Corporation starts cooperating with Demonlover, an American company that turns out to be a key partner. But behind the seemingly harmless facade lurks the Hellfire Club, a platform for extreme videos on the dark web. As Diane delves deeper into Demonlover's machinations, she increasingly loses control – not only over her professional environment, but also over her own identity. DEMONLOVER premiered in competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and polarized audiences and critics alike. Olivier Assayas combines cyber thriller with a critique of capitalism and unfolds a dark, hypnotic atmosphere between virtuality and reality. With a strong cast, including Connie Nielsen, Chloë Sevigny, Gina Gershon and Charles Berling, as well as a soundtrack by Sonic Youth, DEMONLOVER is a visually and thematically radical film that impressively stages the loss of control in the digital age.