Review of The Neon Demon (2016) by Brian S — 07 Jan 2017

Similar to the striking imagery and contrasting words that make up Nicolas Winding Refn's 2016 film The Neon Demon, his mood piece on the underbelly and cutthroat dealings of the Los Angeles modeling industry is both alluring yet deeply troubling.

It is a steady contrast that lies at the bed all throughout the film-always letting the viewer be aware of the artifice that is being presented. Similar to Refn's 2013 deep dive into Lynchian existentialism with Only God Forgives, the Danish director has created a companion piece of sorts dealing with similar ideas over a new canvas.

But Refn opts to paint this canvas with images of beautiful women pursuing the morally bankrupt industry of modeling and the lengths they go through to stay beautiful, relevant and the dream of making it.

It is "A Star Is Born" at its most basic idea but Refn descends into the same compulsions that made Only God Forgives such a divisive experience. And also similar to Refn's previous piece, the cinematography (by Natasha Braier) is a standout-demanding to be seen and admired.

Clearly inspired by Italian filmmaker Dario Argento, Refn directs the picture in the vein of horror, with vivid colors and a dash of camp but it doesn't truly add up to a cohesive whole. It's like when you have a dream and attempting to describe it the next day-a lot of details go missing, there are some truly remarkable descriptions but by the end of it go "did I really need to say this?" For Refn, he did need to express it but I hope he learns not to indulge in himself too much for next time.