Review of The Neon Demon (2016) by William H — 04 Jul 2016

What is beauty? Is it something that can be reapplied with just a bit of makeup or surgery? Is it something that someone is simply born with? Or is beauty something that can be stolen? The Neon Demon dissects the concept of beauty in a way that only Nicolas Winding Refn could- presenting a movie that's simultaneously gorgeous yet also shockingly brutal.

Refn is a director with a very specific eye for visuals, and he is able to successfully transport us into his glamorous version of L.A. from the very first bloody shot. Perhaps the most striking choice featured here is Refn's abundant use of lens flares.

Lens flares are usually meant to remind the audience of the realism of the world, but with the flares occasionally blocking out the images on the screen, it seems Refn has used the technique to do the very opposite.

As is always the case with this director, he never makes the same film twice, and seeing him grow as an artist is incredibly fascinating. The Neon Demon is one of those films that I think requires another viewing if only because of the insane plotting and layered visuals presented here.

It's not a perfect film- its pacing is a bit off and I think that the movie does a better job of presenting its themes rather than exploring them- but regardless, The Neon Demon is a film that people should see.

Also worth mentioning is the hypnotic score, which helped to create one the best scenes in all of Refn's filmography. I can't wait to see what Refn brings to the table next (fingers crossed for Batgirl).