- Running time:
- 102 minutes
- Cast:
- Maria Bello -
- Nancy Stockwell
- Jason Patric -
- Louis Farley
- Rufus Sewell -
- Albert Stockwell
- Amy Brenneman -
- Carol
- Michael Nyqvist -
- Stan
- Director:
- Johan Renck
- Genre:
- Drama
- Official Movie Web Site:
- http://www.downloadingnancythemovie.com/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(0 ratings)
Disturbed and self-destructive, Nancy (Maria Bello) seeks an escape from her morose marriage to an apathetic husband (Rufus Sewell) by going online. There, she meets creepy-crawly Louis (Jason Patric), who offers more than just an escape: She convinces him to meet up and take part in a sadomasochistic scheme that would simultaneously get their rocks off and put her out of her misery. Death by orgasm or orgasm by death? The answer is sickening.
The buzz: The film caused a stir at Sundance last year, where it played in competition and left viewers aghast at its nauseating depictions of sex, pain and emotional desolation. It also generated buzz for Bello, whose performance has alternately been described as "fearless" and "skin-peeling."
The verdict: The question is: What's your threshold for watching pain onscreen, both physical and emotional? "Downloading Nancy" is a monumental downer of "Dancer in Dark" proportions, portraying Nancy as a severely unhinged woman whose only way to feel anything is to cut herself with razors and engage in putrid sexual role-play. The film oozes bile, exploring the concept of pain-as-intimacy with macabre brutality and surprising tenderness as well. It's also powered by a jaw-droppingly bloody (literally) performance by Bello, who harnesses so much howling agony that the role itself could have been considered a job hazard. If you can stomach the film's queasy shockers and reach-for-the-Prozac ending, you're in for something unnerving, disturbing and remarkable.
Did you know: The film was originally set to star Holly Hunter, who ended up pulling out after her pregnancy pushed back the start date.
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