Downloading Nancy (2008)

This film affected me deeply. When it was over, I sat in the dark for a long while... I contemplated the meaning of life and Heaven versus Hell and a million other things. Viewers will have different experiences watching it, based on their personality types, beliefs, and upbringing. Without a doubt, the film is disturbing. But it's also REALITY. Maria Bello, Jason Patric, and Rufus Sewell gave OUTSTANDING performances. I was completely immersed in the characters. Nancy,(Maria Bello) was a tragic character. I was heartbroken for her. The character of Louis, (Jason Patric) was intensely intriguing- I loved how his past remained a mystery. Albert, (Rufus Sewell) played someone we all know in our personal lives. The intermingling story was brilliant! The scenes went from gripping & provocative to fascinating and compelling to shocking and horrific. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film. Writers Lee Ross & Pamela Cuming are fantastic storytellers. (Lee Ross also wrote Benjamin Troubles, another great film to watch.) I was very moved by Downloading Nancy. Still am. GREAT FLICK- A MUST SEE!

When the printing press was invented it spread media quicker and farther than ever before. Fast forward to the information age where written documents as well as ways of communicating went digital from the invention of the computer and then a way to connect them to others: The Internet. Writing letters turned into e-mails and inked articles went way of text on a blog. This story uses the modern way of communicating and connecting to others but as an outlet for darker reasons rather than opportunity or forward outlooks. And what makes this tale so haunting is that is was inspired by real events with some cinematic liberties altered from a 1996 case about a woman named Sharon Lopatka who went by the name of Nancy over the computer."Downloading Nancy" is about a down-on-this-world woman, played by Maria Bello, who searches for someone on the Internet that would take her life as she's tried herself with scars to show for it. Not to mention going to therapy sessions to resolve her long list of deep-rooted issues without any substantial luck. She's married and unable to have kids due to being abused and suffering physical pain as a little girl. Her husband Albert, played by Rufus Sewell, doesn't understand her need for infliction during intercourse, and after 15 years of marriage is fed up with her immature and selfish ways of dealing with problems. He has golf and other hobbies to keep himself distracted, not to mention they sleep next to each other, yet are worlds apart. Nancy finds her guy, or so he says, and takes off with only a nondescript note left over to her husband. The newly met man from online seems the perfect match to give her the rough stimulation she feels she needs. Nancy has her highs and lows, from emotional to withdrawn, giving a torn decision to the man who's now infatuated with her.Slow, serious, subtle, "Downloading Nancy" builds up by showing rather than telling how this woman got to the desperate, manic, end-all state she's at. There are loose, hand-held camera shots that put you there. Sometimes hiding behind something to give the point of view of witnessing and experiencing it first hand. The settings are dulled with drab colors and neutral furniture to give an oppressive tone without overdoing it and trying to be creepy. Maria Bello does an excellent job of playing a pessimistic woman with more than one troubling issue to contend with. Her impulsive ways make her unpredictable and unlikable, though there is a feeling of pity as she can't even help herself.This doesn't have the typical amount of hope or resolve that you see in Hollywood pictures, but it's filled with real feelings of emotion that radiate from the screen. The film doesn't have any good guys or bad guys, and it isn't a horror tale as it won't happen to you due to both individuals being willing participants. It just unfolds this strange tale of how the Internet brought these two together, who would have otherwise never met as they're several states over. Though Nancy had stacking problems that were becoming too much to handle, and this was her way of finding an answer to solve it all by including this man to take charge of her life without question. The amount of blind trust she put into him might say more about herself than him. (If you missed 'em see my profile and click chronological for first review "Grimm Love" or the second "Cannibal.") (Also submitted on http://fromblacktoredfilmreviews.blogspot.com/)

I can't stop thinking about this movie. My friend is going to see it tonight in NY, and I wish I were there to see it again. Not that it's fun. Well, maybe like a wooden roller-coaster.Questions bouncing around in my brain: 1. Can a person ever be healed if his/her sexual needs are perverted by abusive treatment during formative years? 2. If we look at this film as metaphor, what does it say about the nature of love? 3. Is the title a pun referring also to Sewall's character? He is dressed in a pink shirt and shows no sexual interest in his wife. Might "downloading" be the process by which we are receiving *his* story? 4. What can I do if I know someone like Nancy? What can I do if I *am* Nancy? (just thoughts...) Please don't flame me for being an English Lit. major. ;)

It's hard to decide whether this is a failure or not. I finally came to the conclusion that it's not.Nancy has been sexually abused as a child. She lives in a completely cold and dead marriage. She cuts herself. Then, she gets into this pact with a stranger on the net. What follows is a carousel of destruction. But is it really destruction? It's a fantastic acting performance here by Maria Bello, Rufus Sewell and Jason Patric. It's like a documentary with pale colors, no sign of hope, no sign of healing. It's a movie about existentialism, but it balances on a thin line close the ridiculous. But director Johan Renck brings it all home and you can only feel the pain. Or is that really what you're supposed to feel?