When young, innocent Jesse (Elle Fanning) moves to Los Angeles in hopes of being able to enter the prestigious world.
Soon she finds herself climbing the ladder of the LA modelling scene and also gaining the attention of local beauty obsessed women. What follows is a story of the struggle of self-identification in our ever growing society of fame and glamour with a heavy dose of the ambitious creativity that director Nicolas Winding Refn always brings to the table.
Usually when going to the cinema you’re filled with wonder and excitement of the experience that you will have with your friends or family but when it comes to this particular filmmaker I was filled with hesitation.
Films by Refn are designed to challenge the viewer and make them feel that they have received more than just a movie but an experience. The issue with this is the experience is of his own design, which can lead to moments of his work ranging from artful, complex narratives to self-indulgent disasters. His last feature Only Gods Forgives is an example of one of his films that falls into this latter’s trap but thankfully this demon is a completely different beast.
Jesse’s tale is a grand adventure into the world of fashion and is a visual spectacle from beginning to end. Various scenes have little to no dialogue and instead the visuals tell and push the narrative forward. The use of colours is particularly important in enhancing the mood and helping the audience understand the actions taking place on screen. These elements give the film a fantasy vibe and various scenes have an unhuman characteristic about them. A particular example of this is the scene in which Jesse has her first major catwalk and through the strange visuals we see how her perception of the world changes.
Elle Fanning graces us for most of the film’s running time and plays her role as the girl who is taking over the modelling scene in LA because she has that special something couples with a naïve and shy persona that we see shatter as the story continues and she becomes more absorbed into this chaotic world.
Most of the side characters are played by real-life models, which I was very surprised to hear, as most of the acting was very convincing throughout. An exception to this was Ruby played by Jena Malone, a makeup artist that we perceive to be Jesse’s friend but can never truly trust her unwavering smile. On a sour note most of the male cast is unremarkable in particular Jesse’s kind-of boyfriend whose story ark is randomly dropped halfway through the film. Keanu Reeves does have a role in this film as a sleazy motel owner but again his side story is both forgettable and in very poor taste.
Then we get to the ending…
Well If I could sum it up without spoiling anything I could simply say I wasn’t disappointed but no matter how I could have envisioned the ending that was definitely not what I would have seen coming.
The plot takes a noticeably horror themed tonal shift in the final act of the film and many of the events taken place are so vastly horrific that I seen various people shout out and look away at the cinema screen during the screening. It is powerful but not all of it feels necessary or even adds to the overall experience and this is also a flaw with the film. At various points things happen that don’t really add to the story or even come in to be relevant later on in the film and leave you feeling like either you’re missing something, or worse Refn is missed something. No matter what your opinions on the movie, it is likely that critics will always remember this ending when discussing the film.
The Neon Demon is a high style fantasy thriller giving you an inside look into the glamorous and completely warped world of modelling and high stake fashion. Refn latest feature may not be the star of the summer showcase however it will still leave you speechless many weeks after it has left the runway.
Feature photo credit: The Neon Demon, Cannes Film Festival press kit
