The Neon Demon
Director: Nicholas Winding Refn
Talent: Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Abbey Lee
Released: 15th July
In Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest provocation, 16-year old aspiring model Jesse (Fanning) arrives in Los Angeles and almost immediately embarks upon a meteoric rise through the ranks of the fashion industry, spiking the jealousy of two older, possibly homicidal fellow models.
There’s quite a lot to enjoy in this, from the sumptuous visuals and Cliff Martinez’s propulsive score to a sly undercurrent of very dark humour and a couple of choice performances, including Keanu Reeves as a real scumbag of a motel manager, but sadly none of it amounts to much in the end. Throughout, one gets the distinct impression that Winding Refn believes that a film about shallow, insubstantial people must by definition also be shallow and insubstantial, which is patently untrue (Mullholland Drive comes to mind), and despite a completely bonkers final act that nearly redeems the whole thing, this ultimately has to be chalked down as another misfire from the Danish director.
Words: Felipe Deakin
