Nicolas Winding Refn returns with The Neon Demon, his most beautiful film to date.
The Neon Demon review
The Neon Demon is the latest feature film to be directed by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The director has made a name for both himself and actor Ryan Gosling with previous films Drive and Only God Forgives. This time he’s working without Gosling, instead switching to a female lead in the form of Elle Fanning. Our story tells of young girl Jessie (Fanning) as she arrives in Los Angeles aspiring to be a model. An instant success, she soon has to deal with the envy and dark desires of those around her. The film screened at Cannes earlier this year and was received with a bizarre mixture of boos and cheers. The Neon Demon it seems is a true marmite movie, you either love it or hate it. So where does THN sit?
Well this writer personally loved it. Refn has created a visual masterpiece; almost every shot in it could be viewed as a work of art, which is a trend that continues right the way through the end credits. Seriously, stick around for them folks, glitter has never looked so expensive. The night-scape of Los Angeles also hasn’t looked so good since Nightcrawler; the neon lights and filters within the fashion sequences are vivid and clean. The costumes and make-up are bold, bright and luxuriously rich. But more than that, everything on screen could easily be grabbed as a still and put into a coffee table book of art. It’s basically one two hour long fashion magazine. In short, the aesthetics are stunning and the film could easily be viewed as a piece of modern, moving art.
Coupling the vibrant visuals is an incredible pulsating soundtrack. Cliff Martinez has devised a sumptuous and hypnotic score that ratchets up the mood and atmosphere of the images displayed. Refn’s previous film Drive was applauded for its soundtrack, but this one might just be even better.
For a film that is so auditory and visually pleasing the cast could have easily just stood there and looked pretty, but thankfully they don’t. As much as this is a beautiful film to look at, there are some very strong performances. Elle Fanning does a great job as the not so innocent Jessie, and proves that it’s not just her sister Dakota who was blessed with the acting gene. She manages to display the expected naive ingenue deftly, but also manages to capture an underlying current of narcissism. Both Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee are strong as Jessie’s bitter fellow models. Lee, an ex-model herself, is especially striking as the forever overlooked Sarah.
Supporting the up and comers is a solid cast of perpetually working pros, Christina Hendricks, Alessandro Nivola, Desmond Harrington (complete with the sharpest cheek bones you’ll ever see) and Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays against type in a similar way to his Point Break co-star Patrick Swayze did in Donnie Darko. It’s unsettling to witness but great to see an actor as well known as Reeves unafraid to subvert his fan’s expectations. The shinning star of The Neon Demon though is Jena Malone. The Donnie Darko actress gives the turn of her career as make-up artist Ruby. The actress clearly trusted her director and performs in what is sure to be one of the most talked about scenes of the year.
Negatively speaking, the plot is thin on the ground and whilst what is there is interesting enough, it takes until the final third for something concrete to happen. Up until that point the viewer is just presented with a sequence of expertly shot scenarios that don’t really seem to be going anywhere. What they are doing however, is building up to a final crescendo that comes out of left field but completely makes sense once on the screen. Until everything falls into place you could be forgiven for thinking that The Neon Demon is merely Showgirls set in the modelling world, it even has it’s own awkward (in this case depraved) sex scene.
The Neon Demon review
A perfect partner to the brilliant Starry Eyes, a film which follows a young actress’s ascension up the Hollywood ladder, The Neon Demon encapsulates the devious side of modelling fame. As with Starry Eyes the film highlights the LA dream machine for the nightmare that it really is. Modelling, as showcased in the film, is an industry that will eat you up and spit you out (quite literally). Everyone within the bubble is desperate to stay young and beautiful forever, but at what cost? The movie works as an excellent cautionary tale for those who think it’s an easy ride.
Overall The Neon Demon looks and feels like a beautiful nightmare. A stunning piece of video art accompanied by one helluva soundtrack with a deliciously dark heart.
