The Neon Demon

Review: Immersive, visually interesting, and distinctive. I wondered near the end whether it was a good movie or whether it was just a bad movie I enjoyed (events towards the end are problematic in a number of ways).

Plot: The plot appears straightforward at first, but increasingly it appears that some events might be meant symbolically, as their literal meaning is too far-fetched.

Is Jesse the Neon Demon?: In his interview on the Filmspotting podcast, Nicolas Winding Refn stated that Jesse is the Neon Demon (and that he and Elle figured this out while filming). He mentions that, especially on a second viewing, one sees that Jesse is not as innocent as she seems. Maybe not - at times during the first half she seems innocent, but mostly, she just seems blank. That said, she never does anything bad. NWR seems to blame her for the "narcissism" that leads her to revel in her status as the most beautiful. He also states in the interview that when initially interviewing Elle Fanning for the role, he asked her whether she considered herself beautiful. My take on the interview was that Jesse was meant to have been the demon - meaning responsible for setting off some of the negative events of later in the film. Rationally, this is nonsense, since Jesse hasn't done anything (while the other girls have been awful all along).

Fairy Tale: I make it work through analyzing it as a fairy tale (and Nicolas Winding Refn referred to it as a fairy tale, or referenced fairy tale elements). As in a fairy tale, it's natural that Jesse is blank (i.e., that she is a super-flat character - that's how fairy tale characters are). She encounters three dark rivals, Ruby, Gigi and Sarah (a la, the ugly stepsisters). One of the functions of the dark rivals is to illustrate darker, more egoistic aspects of possible character that she needs to transcend in order to become a mature whole. In a traditional fairy tale, she might prove herself through some sort of kind deed. (For instance, often, a character helps a beggar or talking animal). Instead, she admits that she lives for the adoration (when she's asked what it's like having others' attention revolve around her like she's the sun, she says "It's the only thing.") Then she gets bitten. In another key scene, Dean (a light opposite sex figure) defends her as having worth as a human being aside from beauty, and she rebuffs him, showing her allegiance with the dark rivals - they are one and the same. She has become subsumed by them. It is like if Cinderella wasn't interested in the Prince but admitted to loving the attention and admiration she got at the ball, and then adopted the personalities of her sisters.

Other Comparisons: In terms of whether the darkness in Jesse's character developed or was there from the beginning, think of All About Eve. Unlike Eve, Jesse did not have to work or manipulate her way up, but was accepted as a star almost from the word 'go.' Could it be that Jesse just didn't have to hide her true character very long? Another comparison is to The Witch, a recent movie with ambiguity surrounding whether an even younger teenager is to blame for grisly events, and which even hints at whether she bears any blame for being aware of being attractive.

Worth Seeing? Yes!