19/05/2002 - Demonlover: Olivier Assayas takes a look beyond reality with The Internet, 3-D animation, Manga & porn channels

Demonlover is the glam-movie of the moment on the Croisette. Olivier Assayas' film was screened yesterday evening for the press corps who responded with a chorus of applause but also catcalls. The cast includes three extraordinarily beautiful and talented actresses: Connie (Gladiator) Nielsen, Gladiator), Gina (The Insider) Gershon and Face Off) and Chloë (Boys don´t cry) Sevigny.
Frenchman Olivier Assayas wrote and directed this exploration of the world of images and the way they influence our collective imagination. Especially that of young people. Demonlover is the result of a series of visual cross-pollinations both in style and content. The film examines the contemporary audiovisual instruments that go from 3D animation to Japanese graphic art, from porn channels to «snuff sites»: terrible web sites that feature S&M torture and invite interaction with the visitor. This film represents a completely new form of expression for this former film critic of Cahiers du Cinéma and the author of an interview with Ingmar Bergman entitled Conversations with Bergman.
« Demonlover was an opportunity to explore new terrain. I wanted to make a contemporary film using a new expressive language,» he told us. «I was especially interested in portraying the way in which multinationals exploit sex for proft. Whenever money and financial cloutare included in the equation, the game always turns brutal. That is why Connie Nielsen´s character lacks scruples and is cold and competitive.»
Although it was made in France, Demonlover is set in Tokyo, the home of web animation, a sector that has taken root in contemporary visual fantasy.