Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Written by Nicolas Winding Refn (screenplay and story) and Mary Laws & Polly Stenham (screenplay)
Cast: Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Alessandro Nivola, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Charles Baker, Jamie Clayton
Soundtrack: Cliff Martinez
There are a couple of caveats about this film that probably don’t even need to be said, but I’ll put them out there anyway:
1. ‘The Neon Demon’ is definitely not a general audience movie. To say, “It’s not for everyone,” is an understatement, as some of the most graphic and disturbing sex, violence, and mixture of the two are shown on screen (in other words: don’t take grandma).
2. Nicolas Winding Refn is a strange cat.
I say the latter not only as one who has seen some of Refn’s work, but as someone who’s been in the same room as him (I went to a screening of ‘Only God Forgives’ a few years ago and there was an in-person Q&A session afterward; he’s a unique individual, to say the least).
Nevertheless, I generally find myself to be a fan of his films, particularly his visual style, and was looking forward to seeing his latest release.
The plot of ‘Neon Demon’ is rather straightforward. A young, aspiring model, who is rightfully certain about how pretty she is, moves to Los Angeles on a quest to make it big. In short order, due in large part to some morally questionable decisions, she climbs the ropes of the industry, and becomes a most wanted girl in every sense of the word, drawing the ire of those left in her wake.
At the center of the picture is Elle Fanning, who I didn’t know what to expect from, given that I’d only previously seen her in ‘Super 8’, but she’s nothing if not captivating, which she accomplishes mostly with her eyes, as she, like most of the others in the film, isn’t given a whole lot to do in terms of dialogue. The rest of the cast does more than an adequate job: Christina Hendricks is a stand-out in her one scene; Keanu Reeves has a brief and antagonistic role which he seems to relish; and Jena Malone, well, let’s just say she’s a real trooper.
Given the simple story, the film is largely a mood piece, heightened by Refn’s colorful visuals and Cliff Martinez’s delightfully brooding synth score (which I’ll probably listen to more than watch the actual movie again).
The biggest problems with ‘The Neon Demon’ are length and pacing. I’m not saying it needs to move any faster than a stroll through the park, but it could’ve stood some tightening up, save for one critical scene that actually could have used more suspense built up. There are also some issues with character motivations, which is to say it’s one thing to not see a twist coming, and it’s another to go back and see it was only vaguely set up one time.
Where things totally fell apart for me came at a point when I thought the movie was ending, and I would have been fine with it ending there (even though it was dark and downbeat), but it kept going for what seemed like at least another twenty minutes, and I just didn’t find it necessary or satisfying, to the point that the movie become like sour milk. It was quite disappointing, especially since I had been with the movie up to that point.
In the end, despite my own proclivity to recommend films that are off the beaten path, or at least try to be something different (like ‘The Lobster‘), I can’t in good conscience recommend ‘The Neon Demon’, at least not theatrically. Unless you have a love for things that most people find shocking, or are a true Nicolas Winding Refn completionist, it’s likely not worthwhile.
Rating: ★★½ out of five