This morning brought news that, amongst several other humongous premieres, the Cannes Film Festival would host the first proper screening ofNicolas Winding Refn’sThe Neon Demon, the Denmark-born auteur’s follow-up to his less-than-well-receivedOnly God Forgives. Now, we have the first trailer for the film and it looks, well, about what you would expect from a Refn films - plenty of colored lights, stylized wardrobe, and violence over violence. The story of the film hinges on a model, played by the surpassingly talentedElle Fanning, who enters a wild, “dangerous” world where competition is constant and bloody, and the image is all that matters to those who hold the strings. You can check out the trailer for the film right below:
Refn has cut out an interesting place for himself in the cinematic landscape and though I’m not a die-hard fan of his work, he’s never boring. ThePushertrilogy andDriveare both exceptional works, and I have a strange love forValhalla Rising, though that might be tied more closely to my obsession with the work ofMads Mikkelsen. I can’t say that I enjoyed or even found much to think about withOnly God Forgives, but I have high hopes forThe Neon Demon, if only because it would seemingly be a film anchored by women, easily passing the should-be-easy Bechdel Test. Fanning is joined by the likes ofMad Men’sChristina HendricksandJena Malone, one of the best and sadly underutilized actresses working today, whileBella HeathcoteandKeanu Reevesare also set to appear in supporting roles. Following their acquisition ofSpike Lee’s staggeringChi-Raq,The Neon Demoncould very well cement Amazon Studios' reputation as one of most audacious distributors out there.
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Neon Demon:
When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.
