Feat. The Music of Ladyhawke (in a very special EFC music video!)
You know what my mother used to call me? Dangerous. “You’re a dangerous girl.” She was right.
In the world of modeling, beauty is everything. If you aren’t beautiful, no one will pay attention to you. What could be worse? Actually being beautiful.
The Neon Demon (2016) is a sensorially rich, nightmarish portrayal of the woes of aesthetics. There’s barely a plot and it unfurls at a snail’s pace. Instead this film is more like an art gallery exhibition. Each scene is a painting in a unified series. The style is bold, erotic and dark. The theme apparent is physical beauty and its pitfalls.
We wish we were beautiful, but what is it like if you actually are? What would it be like to be the protagonist, Jesse (Elle Fanning), a girl who is drop dead gorgeous and everyone around her knows it? Look at what happens to her. (Spoilers Ahead).
She is envied, hated, and targeted by her peers. Others covet her like a golden trophy, loving her only superficially and inspiring a false sense of confidence in her. But it gets even worse for this 16-year-old runaway.
“I know what I look like. Women would kill to look like this.”
Because everyone around her tells her she is beautiful, she starts to believe them. And then a curious thing happens, she begins to fall in love with herself. She becomes a narcissist. Seasoned bloggers know this road leads to a dead end.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what if the eye beholden sees only itself? It poisons and corrodes the psyche. Like a reflection caught between two adjacent or opposing mirrors it goes on and on and fucks with your mind. And that’s exactly what the film itself will do to you.
* * *
I swear, we dislike things mostly because we do not understand them. When I watched this film last weekend I didn’t like it. But I also knew I didn’t understand it. Furthermore, even before watching it I knew in my gut that it belonged in the Experience Film Collection and I had made up my mind that I was going to write about it. That decision forced me to think about this film because otherwise I’d have nothing meaningful to say about it here. Sure enough, after mulling this one over for a few days and, with the help of some Adderall, I’ve come to appreciate it a lot more.
The real breakthrough happened with a change in perspective. Rather than view Jesse as a real character, I thought, what if she’s just a metaphor? What if SHE’S the neon demon, and what if the neon demon is a force inside the psyche? Maybe even our own psyche?
Or, maybe Jesse is a real person but some of the scenes (like the sequence above where she kisses her reflection) merely personify what’s happening inside her head rather than out there in the world (The catwalk is in her mind). I’m not certain but, for a film of which’s central thesis orbits around the dialectic of inner vs. outer beauty, these seem fitting if not intended modes of interpretation. Don’t you think?
What are your thoughts on this film? Is beauty a blessing or a curse? What IS the Neon Demon? Is it Jesse? Is it Beauty? Envy? Narcissism? Or is it something else? And might this be the quintessential Disgust film?
EFC 13 Music Video (Feat. “Dangerous” by Ladyhawke):
The Neon Demon
Release Date: June 24, 2016
Rated: R
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)
Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn, Mary Laws & Polly Stenham
Starring: Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, and Keanu Reeves
Music: Cliff Martinez
The Inside Out: Disgust (44%), Fear (18%), Anger (4%), Sadness (2%), Joy (2%)
Experience Film 
This was a nice thought- provoking post for a unique and interesting take on a movie that showers your self worth in the darker side of the beauty industry.
I found it captivating, eerie and beautifully directed as it is meant to be felt. I think it’s a movie for a certain audience, those who want to enter the deluusional realm of such movies will understand the meaning behind it. Much like the movie Under Your Skin.
I like your idea about Jesse being the epitome of the Neon Demon, there were many scenes to provoke that notion and the girls that surround her become increasingly infatuated to an extreme measure. They do say if you want to look your best..you are what you Eat..and beauty ultimately is in the EYE of the beholder..
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My thanks, Madame Vintage, for your thoughtful comment.
Yes it pulls you into the delusional realm like you said. And you have to be willing to go There, otherwise I don’t think you will enjoy or appreciate this film and films like it.
I can’t believe I haven’t yet seen “Under The Skin.” Did you like that one?
My foremost goal for this blog is to highlight and synergize with these types of films that are “meant to be felt,” as you said. Psychological thrillers seem to have a natural advantage in this department.
And, may I add? You have excellent taste in movies from what I’ve read of your blog thus far. I also share your passion for literature and video games. I look forward to future posts.
Cheers from the States!
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You’re certainly welcome. Yes..Under the Skin is a great movie that similarity as this movie, strikes the mind into a different dimension and the cinematography is very striking. Again it’s one for a small crowd that will love it for it’s unusual script.
I’m very grateful to hear you like my site and the movie’s I have chosen..I have a peculiar taste in some of the things I love to watch and read perhaps but it’s what will intrigue those who share he same passion. I’m glad to hear you also love the gaming side of life..it’s one I hope to expand on my site as well. I never know if it will be well received by many. I look foward to reading more of your posts and thank you once again. ☺
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Your post really makes you think.
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The only quality I aspire to more is to make one “feel.” Your comment is appreciated!
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