If you’re a fan of film and you haven’t seen Drive, it’s a must-see. Directed by Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn, it combines stunning visuals with a chilling performance from Ryan Gosling. The result is not your typical arthouse indie flick, but a mesmerising and violent character piece. His next film, Only God Forgives, was a flop, but with just enough flair to leave us curious about what he’d do next.

This brings us to The Neon Demon which follows Jesse (Elle Fanning), a young model who moves to L.A. to launch her career. With natural, overwhelming beauty she quickly surpasses her fellow models, who look upon her with sickening jealousy. As Jesse climbs the modelling ladder, the disgust of the other models puts her in danger.

It’s difficult to say much more about the plot, but let me say this: Films like The Neon Demon are why I write about films. Even if it turned out I hated it, there would still be so much to talk about, because The Neon Demon is fascinating. Filled with hypnotic imagery, a pounding electronic score, and a sublime performance from Elle Fanning, this film gripped me from the opening shot. And once it got hold of me, it did things I’ll never forget.

Through its simple plot, The Neon Demon offers incisive commentaries on the distortion of beauty and objectification. Women sit around like mannequins waiting to be judged, and one has had so much plastic surgery that she’s referred to as “the bionic woman”. I’m not sure it offers a moral or that it damns society for this behaviour. These moments in the film simply occur, and it’s for us to think about it, like I have every day since seeing it last week.

What I love most is how this is mainly explored through the visuals. Just like his previous two films, The Neon Demon contains jaw-dropping cinematography that is not only great to look at, but also informs the story and themes.  I’m a huge admirer of visual storytelling and there’s not a shot in The Neon Demon that doesn’t assault your brain with beauty and ideas.

And it’s clear that all these shots were meticulously crafted Winding Refn. There’s so much attention to detail that if The Neon Demon contained no story at all I’d still have been entertained. One example of this is his use of mirrors, which emphasises the characters’ fixation on how they are seen by other people.

I must also talk about the score. The heavy, stomping, electronic tracks lend so much darkness and intensity to many of the scenes. It’s an elegant combination of a steady pulse and simple, glossy melodies – it’s the music you’d get if neon was an instrument.

Speaking of intensity, the opening track combined with that first shot made me tense up, and I didn’t feel relief until the end credits. I felt entirely uncomfortable for the whole runtime. Not only because the tension in the story escalates, but those scenes punctuated by the pulsating score, captivating visuals, and harrowing moments truly made me feel uneasy. Some people won’t like this, but I love it. If a film can make me feel anything so strongly, even if that feeling is distress, then I’m in.

Sadly, the film isn’t without its flaws. There are a couple of character decisions that don’t quite add up when you really think about it afterwards, but at the time I was so absorbed that I failed to really notice. It also drags a little at the end, overstaying its welcome just a little. And it’s also a little agonising how much Nicholas Winding Refn is in love with himself as the opening credits roll with his initials permanently imposed at the bottom of the screen.

Still, despite these issues, I think I loved The Neon Demon. It’s a divisive film, for sure, but I love a film you can really sink your teeth into. I can’t say it’s for everyone, but it offers a unique, chilling experience with some unexpected messed up moments that will stick with you. But that’s me all over – I like dark, I like violent, I like twisted, and I like to be shocked. If that sounds like you, check it out, and maybe you’ll love it too.

8-10

(GRADES: Both are from 0 to 10. The left is an objective score based on artistic merit, the right is my personal enjoyment.)

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