Justthefacts

Take everything you love (or hate) and expect from Nicolas Winding Refn films. Style, fetishes, gore, cinematography, score, neon lights, dream-like sequences, and literally heighten each of these senses past human cognition. He did it with Only God Forgives, and now he's done it again with The Neon Demon. Proving once again that him as an experimental director is here to stay, and perhaps the days of Bronson and Drive are all but over. I'm thoroughly pleased.

The Neon Demon showcases a seriously young Elle Fanning playing a woman who lies her way into the modeling industry only to be catapulted to the top of the game, to the chagrin of many another models who've worked harder, and longer to get where they're at. From there, tensions are established and a threat looms throughout the film, yet it isn't so obvious at first glance. To actually get to this certain "threat", you're very much subjected to gorgeous cinematography, a sheer admiration for neon lights (no surprise there), and a hugely synth-heavy score from The Man Cliff Martinez. It's also NWR's least violent film as well, which isn't saying much considering what violence their actually is is very much literally all for shock value, and because he loves to fetishize violence, it's very self aware at how extreme these few moments are. It might not be much, but it's graphic in ways I never saw coming.

Many will scoff at it's "thin" characters and even "thinner" plot. Which is valid, I'll admit that. It isn't all peaches and cream in those two departments. To me, the story is more narrative driven than Only God Forgives, and certainly with more dialogue. But at times the story really drags on with nothing in particular to convey. Some moments of dialogue show some of the worst acting in a Refn film, not to mention the actual dialogue being somewhat cringeworthy. Their is one moment in particular where she's with this boy she (maybe?) likes and confronts him at a hotel after a tense altercation at a restaurant and I literally rubbed my hand through my face. It was Lifetime worthy, not big-screen worthy. Very few moments like these, but they're their and can't be overlooked. Aside from those few quibbles, Elle Fanning actually gives a very subdued, very naïve and timid performance with a few moments where I literally gasped at how great she is.

All In All, The Neon Demon is Nicolas Winding Refn perfecting his fetishes in the best possible sense. I walked to my car thinking about it and I write this with nothing else on my mind. I know days will pass by with this film still all up in my brain. Also the third act is gonzo. I know for a fact it'll divide it's audience. You'll either love what happens, or absolutely hate what you just witnessed. I don't think there'll be any indifference towards it, it's just one of those two. I for one had to think hard about it before I came to the conclusion that I loved the direction Refn took it in in the last 20 minutes. Another impressive visual story in the Refn canon. B+

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