Demonlover

Demonlover (2002)

Treason is the key to power

A French corporation goes head-to-head with an American web media company for the rights to a 3-D manga pornography studio, resulting in a power struggle that culminates in violence and espionage.

Date of release
2002-11-06
TMDB
5.8 / 10 (135)
Runtime
2h 1m
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director
Olivier Assayas

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Box office: $463K
  • Budget: $8M
  • Earned 0.1× its budget
  • Filmed in: Paris and Mexico

Demonlover is a 2002 French neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Olivier Assayas, and starring Connie Nielsen, Charles Berling, Chloë Sevigny, and Gina Gershon. The plot focuses on the entanglement between various corporations vying for the financial control of an interactive 3-D hentai company, resulting in a power struggle that culminates in violence and espionage.

Production

Writer-director Olivier Assayas was inspired to make the film based on the writings and experimental films of Guy Debord, which denounced the damaging effects of media on social and interpersonal relations.

Connie Nielsen accepted the lead role of Diane after reading the screenplay, commenting: "I felt something about Diane from the moment I read the script. She's removed and very lonely. I think she mirrors the general loneliness that people feel in a cutthroat environment." At the time, Nielsen had recently completed the big-budget historical drama Gladiator (2000), but was impressed enough by the screenplay that she agreed to star: "I've always d…

Chloë Sevigny agreed to star in the film as she was an admirer of Assayas's film Irma Vep: "I just wanted to work with a filmmaker who I found fascinating, who was making intriguing work. I met with him in Paris and read the script and signed on." Sevigny had previously been offered the role of Vivian Kensington (a role that eventually went to Selma Blair) in the comedy film Legally Blonde (2001), but opted to star in Demonlover instead.

Assayas stated he initially did not intend to cast any American or English-speaking actresses in the film, though both Sevigny and Gershon—both Americans—were ultimately cast in major roles. "I've always been a fan of Hollywood cinema," Assayas commented, "including mainstream films that many people disdain. The characters are sometimes simplistic, but there are often strong dramatic elements that I admire.

Principal photography of Demonlover took place in the fall of 2001, primarily in Paris and Tokyo, on a budget of approximately US$8 million. Additional filming took place in Mexico.

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