Viewers beware: Downloading Nancy is not in the realm of Internet movies such as You’ve Got Mail, Must Love Dogs or even Untraceable. Adultery, rape, the psychology of torture, sexual humiliation and self-mutilation are not only present, but prevalent in the film. Paraphilia runs rampant, including algolagnia (arousal by erroneous pain), pedophilia (arousal by prepubescent children), autassassinophilia (arousal by life-threatening situations), biastophilia (arousal by assault), erotic asphyxia (arousal by chocking) and masochism (arousal by inflicting pain or humiliation). Needless to say, Downloading Nancy is not for the faint of heart.

Nonetheless, morbid curiosity may get the best of you.

Maria Bello proved in A History of Violence that she is not afraid to challenge sexual boundaries in a feature film. In Downloading Nancy she proves she is not afraid to shatter sexual boundaries.

Nancy (Bello) is a lonely, deeply depressed woman who has been married to her husband Albert (Rufus Sewell) for more than 15 years. In a desperate attempt to seek change and finality in her life, she begins an Internet relationship with Louis (Jason Patric).

The film contains two characteristic postmodern elements: the antihero and the lack of a three-act plot structure, creating a schizophrenic feeling necessary to keep the audience engaged. A beginning-to-end storyline would strip the film of any motive or realization, and the lack of a three-act plot structure ultimately serves as the movie’s only engaging element (aside from the sexual, stomach-turning debaucheries).

Downloading Nancy begins with a voiceover by the title character and still scenes of her home. She is traveling on a bus without any identifiable destination. Through small images of her home, she is revealed to have a simple, meaningless life. She leaves a note for Albert, simply stating she has gone to Baltimore to visit some friends. Although uneasy, Albert never commits to the idea that she has actually left him.

Nancy arrives at a bus station and meets a stranger, Louis (Patric), which appears to be a planned rendezvous. Their interaction is awkward and uncomfortable, which is later explained through the purpose of her visit. She met Louis online, engaged in cybersex with him and is now meeting him for the first time. The harsh, dark lighting and slow camera movements effectively create a sense of uneasiness and wrongfulness. Adultery only seems to be the beginning motive of her visit, and her insecure and abrasive behavior suggests it will lead to much more than that. Most of the initial encounters are shot from a voyeuristic perspective, further contributing to the sinister environment.

As the story continues between Louis and Nancy, two separate series of scenes are abruptly inserted. The first is the psychoanalytical sessions between Nancy and her doctor Carol (Amy Brenneman). The sessions reveal Nancy’s uncle molested her when she was seven years old, but Nancy believes he was the only person who ever loved her. Her deeply disturbed and warped sense of reality is more gruesomely depicted through her obsession of self-mutilation with a razor blade up and down her arms and legs.

The third set of events that intermittently cuts through the real-time plot is of Nancy and Albert’s relationship. Nancy is horribly neglected by Albert—he won’t dance with her, he won’t have sex with her and he turns the other way despite knowing her cutting and cyber addictions.

All three storylines gain intensity and momentum simultaneously. Nancy and Louis’s rendezvous is constantly shot in voyeuristic viewpoints that rarely ever follow them out of frame. This creates an atmosphere of isolation and separation from the characters, which is exactly how they live their own lives.

Strangely, Nancy seems the most confident with Louis, which is later explained why (although it can be easily assumed). Their days together consist mostly of shopping errands and sessions of sexual brutality which Nancy demands and Louis easily delivers. Their errands are strange in nature, but poignant aspects in the development of their relationship. Nancy becomes more childish and vulnerable with each trip, yet more and more dedicated to the purpose of her visit.

First they visit a dress shop to find something to wear for what she refers to as “the big finale.” Next is to a pet store to buy food for Louis’s dog where she demands a soft, normal kiss. Reaffirming her irreparable damage, she admits she felt nothing and is hardly startled by the revelation. Their final stop is a hardware store which, although never outwardly stated, is a shopping trip for killing tools. Their departure is abrupt after Louis finds Nancy in an aisle mutilating herself with nails and bleeding out onto the store floor.

Even after days without hearing from her, Albert does not report Nancy missing. He merely moseys around their plastic-covered furniture home and continues to work on his golf game. Louis then shows up at his door claiming to be a computer repairman. Albert slowly becomes suspicious of Louis’s role in Nancy’s absence and reacts with an uncharacteristic emotional intensity.

Downloading Nancy begs the questions, “How much can you really take?” Aside from the vivid imagery and dialogue, it is the type of film that forces a fight-or-flight response. You can either pull over to watch the car accident or drive by focused forward.

Bello is so convincing in the film that her performance is unnerving. Patric, although an emotional enigma throughout the movie, convincingly plays a sick pervert, but his surprising acting ability actually conveys a sense of sympathy for his character.

The film would hardly be bearable without its riveting performances, and even that may not be enough for most viewers. Downloading Nancy is a great showcase for acting, but beyond that, it’s clearly a film that attempts to be groundbreaking without conveying a socially relevant message.

Downloading Nancy is now playing in limited release.

For more information, visit the film’s official Web site.