Jessie (Elle Fanning) is newly arrived on the modelling
scene in Los Angeles when things begin to take a sinister turn. After gaining
immediate notoriety amongst her fellow models in the cut-throat world of
fashion, Jessie finds herself fighting her rivals in an increasingly dangerous
game. Jessie is striving for fame surrounded by brutal and vacuous individuals.
Everything has a sharp edge. Her youth brings immense popularity but also
paints a target on her. She contends with seedy photographers, motel managers,
and vicious colleagues.
Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Valhalla Rising) is a director
who takes great care over his work and that is clear with The Neon Demon. Every
shot and every scene appears to have an unsettling attention to detail.
Everything seems loaded with meaning, each object and character positioned to a
certain effect, mirrors, lighting and more used to get across some message to
the viewer. The very first shot of the movie features Jessie being
photographed, with her throat painted to appear as though it has been cut and
she is bleeding to death. Not all of the imagery in the film is as clearly
satirical as this and as things progress more and more is demanded of the
audience. While the plot of the film is never entirely obscured, it is of
secondary importance to the audio-visual experience. There is a psychedelic
quality to proceedings, with an eerie synth soundtrack playing over surrealist
scenes and occasional strobe lighting. Towards the end of the film it drifts
into more grotesque horror that seems an oddly fitting climax and release of
the tension that is built up during the taut psychological thriller vibe of the
early parts. The cinematography by Natasha Briaer is exceptional and every shot
is in itself a work of art.
The Neon Demon treads a delicate line between pretention and
entertainment and is sure to divide opinion. The film is one that is best
understood on a thematic level. It deals with the predatory nature of those in
the fashion industry, the quality of youth and beauty and how it is prized in
society, paedophilia, necrophilia and the way that desires can have a definite
dark side. It takes its cues from Kubrick, Lynch and other avant-garde
film-makers, and comparisons can be drawn with film such as "Under the
Skin", "Black Swan" or "Perfect Blue". Incredible
cinematography, truly unique visionary directing and a horror that works on
multiple levels.
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