This was the second in a series of films I have recently seen and reviewed about the effects of sexual abuse by predatory uncles. In the earlier film, however, the effect was used primarily as a metaphor which is itself problematic as a film like Downloading Nancy underlines. Sexual abuse is not a metaphor or parallel to the damage wrought by clinging to the past, it's not really a metaphor for anything. It's mostly just an illegal, immoral act that utterly destroys a part of the victim, a part which is often unrecoverable.

In this particular situation the victim is Nancy (Maria Bello). Nancy has spent the better part of her life trying to finish off the destruction that began when she was 7 years old. We encounter Nancy just as she is about to ditch her emotionally shuttered husband, Albert (Rufus Sewell) a golf course developer/entrepreneur of some sort. They live in a dark and depressing suburban house and we'd be happy for her abandoning this whole scene if we didn't immediately see that she is probably headed to something even worse. Nancy is clearly addicted to her computer and since we've all heard stories of deadly anonymous encounters, added to the overall tone of the film, there's no spoiler here when I say there's no happy ending.

The rest of the story is told with a combination of crosscutting and flashback and it's here we meet both of Nancy's helpers/enablers. Her therapist Carol (Amy Brenneman) seems weak and ineffective as are many in her situation, or maybe she was just one of many bad, bad therapists. Louis (Jason Patric) is her internet paramour. Patric has a sweet, round face although he has made a career of playing dark and strange. I think it's interesting casting in this instance since Rufus Sewell a not at all sweet, soft looking guy plays the cold as ice spouse. I'm not sure the film means to point any fingers, other than at the absent abusive uncle, but one cannot help but contemplate the real villain is, especially since that is asked directly later on.

I must warn that this is only a film for those who can bear and stomach relentlessly emotional as well as physical pain and brutality. It's a tight, short, small film which is part psychological exploration and theatrical exercise. As far as performances go, it's a tour de force for Maria Bello, an actresses who really could just trade on her looks and play the pretty wife, but has boldly and wisely (in terms of career longevity) chosen not to. Patric, as referenced above alternates between teddy bearish and psychopathic, while I, frankly, have never disliked a Rufus Sewell character more.

Perhaps because I am someone who is fascinated by psychology, as well as an ardent feminist who is outraged by the callous tolerance of sexual exploitation in our culture, I am drawn to this type of material. Yet even if you experience this film only as a cautio-nary tale of the dangers of living in technology, and the kinds of people who are most likely to exist in that world, it's an extremely disturbing and truthful depiction. It seems the story is based on something that really happened which only makes it more distressingly sad as well as much too real for our escapist Hollywood movie machine.

Downloading Nancy opens June 5, 2009

Directed by Johan Renck; written by Pamela Cuming and Lee Ross; director of photo-graphy Christopher Doyle; produced by David Moore, Igor Kovacevich, Cole Payne and Jason Essex. Released by Strand Releasing. Running time: 102 minutes.

With:Maria Bello (Nancy), Jason Patric (Louis), Rufus Sewell (Albert) and Amy Brenneman (Carol.)