The Neon Demon
Fresh to L.A. the aspiring and underage model Jesse (Elle Fanning) seems to have the “it” factor that so many actors, agents, designers and so on seek with ravenous desire. So, when Jesse meets Ruby, Sarah, and Gigi (Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, and Bella Heathcote) one might say her fate is sealed. In a world where beauty is everything, it’s kill or be killed for what you have, will Jesse have what it takes to unleash her neon demon before she’s devoured by her counterparts? 
Written and Directed by known avant garde quantity Nicolas Winding Refn, this latest offering is as colorful and artistically driven as previous works, Drive and Only God Forgives. Now standard to Refn, a heavy use of silence between actors and thick synth scoring creates an over the top tension, sensuality, and and hunger in this particularly ugly take on the fashion world, the intent being a film that’s burned into your mind. Sadly, this go round the overall connective tissue between scenes fails to provide enough substance or clarity to the director’s intent which leaves more questions on the table than answers. Perhaps a matinee for fans of the Director’s previous works, otherwise a rental later when you’ve got the itch for an art flick that seems to be about as vapid as the vampires of Hollywood. The Neon Demon is rated R.