Written by: Nicolas Winding Refn (story by), Nicolas Winding Refn and Mary Laws & Polly Stenham (screenplay)
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Jena Malone
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
An aspiring model moves to Los Angeles where the youth and beauty obsessed culture devour her.
Verdict
This is a visually driven, and visually provocative movie. It's because of these images the movie will remain in your thoughts. The dialog is sparse, but the characters are incredibly well acted. The last quarter is a series of images designed to provoke reaction while also removing any hint of subtlety from the allegory. This movie explores the modeling industry, rebuking society's fixation on beauty. It defies expectations to make a point, a point that's impossible to miss.
It depends.
Review
The imagery is amazing, but that should be no surprise in a Winding Refn film. His films eschew dialog to focus on the visuals. I would have to watch this again, but you can tell colors have thematic purpose, red especially.
This feels like a typical Winding Refn film. Drive (2011), a heist movie, is still my favorite of his films, and it's the most mainstream. The Neon Demon falls somewhere between that and the ultra violent Only God Forgives (2013) concerning accessibility.
Jessie (Elle Fanning) is a new transplant to Los Angeles, wanting to start a modeling career. Fanning does a great job portraying feelings of uneasiness as she walks the high wire of wanting to fit in but being completely out of her depth. She's different and that intrigues the veteran models. Jessie isn't jaded and while her rise from amateur to desired talent is completely too quick, this movie isn't a realistic portrayal of the industry. It's a commentary that deliberately defies expectations and realism.
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| Striking imagery in a veil-less metaphor. |
Jessie's very first scene exemplifies the dark tone of this film. She poses for a photo shoot covered in fake blood, wanting us to ask the question, 'what do you sacrifice to make it in the industry?'
Keanu Reeves has a small role as the manager at Jessie's motel. I'm impressed he took such a small role. While there isn't much for him to do, he's competent. One of the first scenes at her motel is a thinly veiled metaphor that this town will eat her alive.
Her first professional photo shoot goes to great lengths to make the set and photographer creepy. I worried about what was going to happen to her. She's a prime target of which to take advantage.
While everyone is drawn to Jessie, I don't get the appeal. I just don't see it, but that's a part of it. These character see something in her that we can't. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This industry wants new life, new blood, and it doesn't make sense but they still want it. Maybe it's just the deer in the headlights look that Ruby (Jena Malone) suggested.
Everyone that sees her is instantly infatuated. This new girl makes the other models jealous because she instantly gets what they've been working for their entire career. Careers are short in this industry, your career is over by twenty one, according to the movie at least.
Jessie quickly rises to prominence. After landing a runway job, we get a preview of what's to come when Jessie cuts her hand and Sarah reacts. I won't spoil it, but it's bonkers. It's the first step as the movie jumps off the deep end.
Jessie's first runway job is certainly an indulgent sequence with the camera focusing on Jessie for a long time. The fashion designer later espouses about how beauty is currency, and the only way to get what you want is to take it. Jessie isn't above reproach. Her rise is at least partially calculated.
This movie is dark, but the last quarter makes the rest look bright and sunny. It's beyond blood and gore. I wouldn't recommend watching this while eating spaghetti. The images' intention is to provoke a response, and there is no way you won't react. The other models want what Jessie has, they want her life. This is an interesting look and repudiation of the modeling industry and how we view beauty. It can be a cut throat That idea can easily get lost. The action is what will stick in your mind, not the message.
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