Appearing at the 2003 Melbourne International Film Festival and nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Demonlover is an engrossing, ultra-stylish cyber-thriller set in the cut-throat world of pornographic Japanese animation. Complete with a Sonic Youth soundtrack and a hip international cast, the erotic, at times, disturbingly violent Demonlover makes for mesmerising viewing.

After poisoning and incapacitating her immediate superior, calculating ice queen Diane de Monx (Connie Nielsen) takes up a decisive position at VolfGroup, a powerful French conglomerate that is preparing to sign a merger with TokyoAnime, a Japanese company set to hit an extremely lucrative market with its revolutionary pornographic 3D manga. Once the merger goes through, two Internet rivals, Magnatronics and Demonlover, begin battling for exclusive rights to VolfGroup’s new images. Working as an operative for Magnatronics, Diane tries to undermine the competition from within Demonlover, exposing its connection to an interactive torture web site called The Hellfire Club. But at every turn, her ruthlessness is matched by nasty business partner, Herve (Charles Berling), her antagonist assistant Elise (Chloë Sevigny) and Demonlover’s tough-as-nails executive, Elaine (Gina Gershon).