Customer Reviews

Downloading Nancy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Downloading Nancy" is about people caught in their own private traps. The title character in particular (Maria Bello) only feels when she's in pain, and her one wish is to die. But she doesn't want to commit suicide; what she wants is for someone to kill her, someone who will use her, hurt her, make her feel as worthless as she thinks--no, as she knows--she is. In the meantime, she will remind herself how worthless she is by hurting herself with razor blades. Love is not a concept she understands or even tries to understand. Her mind is screaming madhouse of melodrama, and we're made to think it's the product of an abusive childhood. It very well may be, but there's really no way to know for sure. All we do know is that, whatever Nancy went through, as a child or as an adult, she's completely unequipped to handle life, so much so that she actively seeks a release.

Here enters Louis Farley (Jason Patric), a man with two children he hasn't seen in years, although he remembers their ages as four and seven. After communicating for some time via e-mail, Nancy agrees to meet Louis at a bus station in Baltimore. They then engage in days of violent sexual acts at his house, which is covered floor to ceiling with video cassettes stacked on shelves. Nancy wants this. It's the only way she knows how to cope with her feelings. She actually feels something when a cigarette is shoved into her flesh and a broken shard of glass traces her body. And Louis is more than happy to give Nancy what she wants. At least, he is at first; what seemed so perfect and orderly on a computer screen eventually becomes far too real for him. Why? Because he knows her. He understands her. He loves her.

Left behind is Nancy's hopeless husband, Albert (Rufus Sewell), who could never satisfy his wife even if she didn't want to be abused. His life is made up of plastic-covered furniture and a basement converted into a mini putting green, with the walls painted to look like a sprawling golf course. Frequent shots of his shoeless feet suggest a need to maintain cleanliness, or the very least some semblance of order. When it becomes clear that Nancy has been gone for too long, he makes no effort find her. He doesn't even call the police to file a missing person report. And yet, when Louis pays him a visit, Albert angrily, violently demands to know where his wife is. It has nothing to do with love; he just wants things to go back to the way they used to be. It's predictable. It's orderly. It's comforting routine.

Intertwined with this are periodic flashbacks to Nancy's therapy sessions with Carol (Amy Brenneman), who seems genuinely baffled by Nancy and her irrational state of mind. Carol takes a lot of notes and spouts generic statements about how Nancy feels, which is to say that she's well-meaning but unqualified. Indeed, Nancy doesn't want to be helped in that way. What does it say that she's willing to end her life only if someone does it for her? If she's so unhappy, why can't she just kill herself? Could she, perhaps, be deluding herself into thinking that guiding her own murder is somehow different and more acceptable than suicide? This is never addressed in the film, but the fact that she pursues Louis so fervently brings up a number of fascinating questions.

This movie, apparently based on true events, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It also greatly divided audiences, a number of guests having left the screening room before the film ended. In the few weeks since opening in limited release, it has earned a 19% approval rating at Rottentomatoes.com, the general consensus being that it's well-made but far too unsettling to sit through. From the din of almost unanimous hatred comes a single voice, my voice, boldly asserting that "Downloading Nancy" is one of the year's best films. I agree that it's an unpleasant story about unpleasant characters in an unpleasant situation, but blast it all, it convinced me. I could easily invest in what I was watching. I actually felt something for the characters even though I didn't always understand them. I witnessed Nancy's downward spiral and had a reaction to it, which is exactly what was supposed to happen.

Bello's performance in particular reveals a side few actors have the nerve to reveal. We see not a role being played but a full emotional and physical experience, a raw portrayal of a mentally broken woman well past the point of repair. To play this character requires bravery and skill, and by allowing herself to be so psychologically vulnerable, Bello proves that she has them both. She completely inhabits Nancy. She makes her real. She persuades you to see things from her perspective, skewed though it may be. The tagline on the poster proclaims that "Downloading Nancy" is, "The most controversial film you will see this year," and I wholeheartedly agree--not everyone will appreciate a story about a woman that wants to be killed. But consider this: How can you kill someone when they're already dead?

One of the bravest films I've seen in a long time. Jason Patric is absolutely icy. Actually, the whole film is downright chilly. This is definitely one of the most atmospheric films I've ever seen. The title is a bit off-putting but the direction, the acting, the script, the cinematography, the score - all top notch. Further proof that it really doesn't matter what you do, as long as it's done well. Even if the subject matter is troubling or disturbing, at least it is honest.

"Downloading Nancy" is the best film I've seen in a while. What is so impressive about it is its ability to make the characters in an almost unbelievable story so believable.

Nancy wants to die. After suffering horrific childhood abuse, and being stuck in a loveless marriage for 15 years, she can only really feel alive when she's in physical pain. To cope, she cuts herself, but her fantasy is to find a sexual sadist willing to take her life for her. Enter Louis, who she meets on the internet, and who is willing to serve as her sexual dominant and eventual murderer.

Louis is the yan to Nancy's yin. He deals with psychic pain by inflicting physical pain. His demeanor is calm and controlled, as opposed to Nancy's histrionics. They're soul mates. They understand each other. And ultimately, when Louis acts, it's out of love.

What makes the film is really Maria Bello's powerhouse performance. Nancy is not an easy character to like - she's a person who's so determined to die that she's lost any desire to maintain any kind of dignity. She can be harsh, abusive, cruel ... and yet the actress makes her pain so real that it's hard to fault her for anything she does. She is somehow able to make this disturbed, ruined woman both relatable and even lovable.

The acting was good, but the subject matter is extremely depressing. I bought the movie because of Rufus Sewell. Sorry I did.

Downloading Nancy is a twisted love story which is well told and expertly acted. Maria Bello does a wonderful job portraying such a miserable, broken character. One cannot ignore her intense pain and anguish. I wanted to kick Nancy's husband in the teeth regarding the indifference he shows her. The relationship that occurs between Nancy and Louis is incredibly spooky and creepy, but still feels real.

This is such a bleak movie that I wish I has spent the time watching something else. That doesn't mean it's a bad movie; just beware. Especially considering it is based on an actual person, Downloading Nancy stays in your head for a long time.

This has to be one of the most depressing, gut wrenching films I've seen in a long time. The only thing that rescues this film from the garbage heap is the method the director used to tell this story; essentially three timeline threads that weave back and forth. The film fades to black at the end, and we learn that it is based on actual events. The sad life Nancy lived is based on a real woman's life.

There is absolutely nothing happy about this film, no jokes, and no humor. This is a study of some form of insanity, a woman who has absolutely no self esteem, and hates her life. The bright spot in the story is as a cautionary tale to anyone that was abused as a child. I hate to reveal much of the plot, the method the director used to uncover the story is critical to enjoying this film. The film is the classic love triangle turned on its head, maybe with a bit of Romeo and Juliette thrown in for good measure.

The intriguing part of this film, the director runs three timeline threads at once. He uses subtle clues to place the particular sequence in the past, present, or future. The time span of the film is not much more than four or five days. Some films require a lot of work and careful viewing to understand complex timeline manipulation; not Downloading Nancy, the director telegraphs the time very clearly and never uses the dreaded date or time titles.

The film is one hour and forty two minutes long. Like being stopped on the highway due to a traffic wreck, this film is very hard to avert your eyes. The acting is quite good. Maria Bello (ER) is beautiful and believably crazy as Nancy; Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy) is a somewhat clueless psychiatrist and gorgeous; Rufus Sewell (a fine British actor, but not British at all in this film) is the clueless husband that is much more into his golf than anything else; and Jason Patric (In the Valley of Elah) is the on line love interest, a bit too handsome, and a bit too well spoken. This is a low budget film, there are no special effects. All the painful bits are shown off camera and the effects are shown with makeup; no need for stunt doubles. There were only a few shooting locations. The film relied on the power of the story and the dialog to move it forward.

This film is not rated, but is really meant for mature audiences. Cutting is a recurring theme, shown a few times on camera, and pretty graphically made up aftermath. There is frontal female nudity. But most importantly, the film deals with a mature subject. A woman and a man are shown masturbating, albeit with their private parts covered up. This film is not for younger viewers.

The DVD includes previews to other Strand Releasing films. The only other bonus material is the original theatrical trailer.

Like a car accident this film was hard to stop watching. It left me feeling not very happy, and emotionally drained. Sometimes that can be a good thing, and others it is painful. In this case it was a little of both. The director did a very creative thing with the timeline. From a pure cinema viewpoint, this is an interesting film. The audience for this film must be small.

The film is gritty and depressing. It is also very slow moving. The ending is basically revealed early on so the rest of the film is just leading up to what you know is going to happen. In that sense there was lots of filler as you pretty much understand the main characters and their motivations (and shortcomings) already, there is not much revealed you don't already know.

I suppose you are supposed to feel bad for the Bello character but at some point her anguish is so over the top and relentless you are just wishing she would quit screwing around and off herself already. She is actually a selfish person in my mind because her method of accomplishing her objective ends up condemning the only person in the film that felt any real affection for her.

I suppose you can't employ logical thinking when judging the actions of the mentally ill, but you get the feeling that she is deliberately putting herself in a no-win situation. She had options to improve her lot in life that she ignores or rules out for no real reason. Odder still is those options are given short shrift by the other characters as well. She really goes out of her way to put herself in a hopeless position, but then feels sorry for herself for having done so. It is hard to feel much empathy for her. That deadens the impact of the film IMO.

Acting was superb and since it's "based no true events" I guess i can't complain about the plot. very disturbing, emotional movie. A very good movie but not entertaining- especially since I've known several people like Nancy.

This film is unique. Violence is rampant, but it's not what carries the film. The performances from Mario Bello and Jason Patrick are as real as they are disconcerting. It's beautiful, bleak and raw. It's a love story.

I recommend this movie only for the performance of Maria Bello, who is truly a remarkable young actress. Like Toni Collette, she's got great acting chops and a remarkable physical presence, but she is probably underappreciated simply because she is not classically beautiful.

This movie reminded me a bit of "Hard Candy" (with Ellen Page)as an exploration of an explosive and little examined area of sexuality. In this case, it's a young woman who engages in self-mutilation, AKA "cutting". Like "Hard Candy"-- which dealt with sexual predation-- "Downloading Nancy" has a claustrophobic feel, with most of the action taking place indoors in dull locations, and a small cast of only 4 or 5 characters interacting intensely.

"Downloading Nancy" doesn't immediately tip its hand as to whether it will treat sado-masochism either erotically or honestly, but thankfully this is not a film for voyeurs. It gives you plenty to think about.

In the end I think it suffers from a lack of style. There isn't really much here that is visually interesting. Bello's performance far outshines that of Rufus Sewell or Jason Patric, who come off rather flatly. Bello's exchanges with Amy Brenneman are good, but not central to the plot.

I'd call this movie a brave attempt, in regards to the territory it explores. But as a movie about a young woman with a death wish, it is much less watchable than that old chestnut, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar", with an electrifying performance from then-newcomer Diane Keaton.