Hey Freaks! The Dead Body Man is back to shoot you…another review! I know it’s been awhile but I finally finished the renovations to the basement and now I can fit twice the dead hookers! Lets keep that between us yeah?
Down to business. I’ll be reviewing Nicolas Winding Refn’s film “The Neon Demon”. It’s art, it’s fame, debauchery and death! So Freaks, grab a beer and some popcorn and your favorite ez-chair and let’s dive in!
Oh, and don’t feed the models.
“The Neon Demon”- 2016- A Film By Nicolas Winding Refn
“You know what my mother used to call me? Dangerous. “You’re a dangerous girl”. She was right. I am dangerous.”
I remember the first time I saw one of Refn’s earlier films, Drive. It wasn’t a feeling of having viewed a film, so much as one of experiencing a film. TND is no different. Refn’s work seems very separate from the current Hollywood greed cinema being pumped out today. It hearkens back to a time when films were art. I am going to break the film down into a few categories for this review. Cinematography, sound, lighting, story, acting, and final thoughts.
The camera work in this film is wonderful. Almost any scene could be framed and put on a wall and would not look out of place in an art gallery. Refn is particularly good at framing up a shot just right. Whether it’s a closeup, wide shot of the landscape, or an Arial view of the top of a car, it always captures the right part of the scene and elicits the right emotional draw to the character it portrays. This was my third viewing of the film, and I found fault with none of the shots, and that says a lot.
The sound in the film is also almost perfect. It compliments the scenes and emotions of the actors/actresses amazingly and importantly, Refn knows when to shut it off altogether. His musical choices for the production line up with the action exactly as they should. One of the only other filmmakers I know who does it as well is Tarantino, which speaks volumes for Refn. The soundtrack is good. More than that- it’s damn good.
The lighting in the film is placed well with the shots it’s meant to compliment. It conveys both emotion and framing for whatever is taking place-which is of course what it should do- but Refn’s way is somehow unique. It’s almost a heavy 80’s wash of hard neon blues and pinks and then blinding white when it needs to be. It can almost make you feel either heavy or empty depending on the scene. He pulls emotion out of color with ease. It makes you feel as though you’re viewing a painting and not a film. All of this from a Director who is colorblind.
Onto the story itself.
The Neon Demon is framed into two parts. Part one is melodrama and more dialogue driven. It’s meant to set up the innocence and wonder of a young Model striking out on her own and finding that everyone wants to be her. She is discovering she has a talent…and it’s beauty. The visuals and music differ slightly in the first half as well. With the exception of the party the music is much lighter and airy. This part of the film fades slowly into the second half, which is where we get our horror film. Beauty and fame, and all of the fawning attention slide effortlessly into pride. We know where pride gets you. We are slowly learning about the costs of fame in the modelling industry, through aging stars and their dialogue with the young Model. Shots get tighter and more claustrophobic, and the lighting gets darker and more harsh. Sound is heavier now and what lengths will they go to to stay relevant? To stay young and pretty? As things become more tense between the girls, more sinister things begin to crawl their way to the surface. In the final act we get the confrontation and jealous betrayal that has been building in the aging Models. Finally, they consume the competition.
TND is one of those rare films where all of the acting is brilliant. Even the minor roles (Keanu Reeve’s pervy innkeeper) are wonderfully well done.That’s all the time i’m going to spend on that. You’ll see it for yourself. Everyone is great in this film. Everyone. Perfect casting.
Final Thoughts:
In my final thoughts, I have only a few things to mention. I think Refn was heavily influenced by stories of Elizabeth Bathory for this film. I could be way off, but it carries heavy vibes of the tales of her bathing in the blood of Virgins she killed to stay young and beautiful. I’d also like to reiterate the fact that this is truly an art film. It is like a living painting. From the sound, to the lighting and cinematography. Next to Drive, it’s easily one of Refn’s best. It comes highly recommended from me. 5/5 film. Go see it if you haven’t.
Well Freaks, that brings us to the end of another review. As always, I have knives to sharpen and bodies to dispose of. See you next time Freaks!
Oh and don’t worry, Models are usually a low-fat food.
