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Pride Watch: The Neon Demon
Jun. 19th, 2018 06:31 amBack to the Pride Watch! Today I'm talking about The Neon Demon.
There's a scene in the beginning of this movie where our four central characters--Jesse (Elle Fanning), Ruby (Jena Malone), Sarah (Abbey Lee), and Gigi (Bella Heathcote)--are discussing lipstick colors. Ruby says that, according to market research, women are more likely to buy lipsticks if the name evokes either sex or food. They then ask Jesse what her color would be: "Are you sex, or food?" This is more on the nose on the second watch, by the way.
But just for fun, let's go through Rhoda's favorite lipstick colors and see if this is true:
-Air Kiss (hot pink, glossy)
-Pink Passion (Barbie pink, glossy)
-Red Velvet (classic red, matte)
-Sugar Plum Fairy (deep purple, matte)
-Dare Devil (black, glossy)
-Cherry Bomb (classic red, glossy)
-Gladiolus (classic red, glossy)
...and one with the label worn off that I can no longer read. So, about half and half. Although, fun story: I once got a pack of lip gloss that had NO names, and immediately went through them and gave them names like, "Victorian Seance" (iridescent gold), "Ectoplasm" (no-tint shimmer), and "Carrie's Prom Dress" (shimmery pink). I am still searching for a red lipstick called "Blood of My Enemies." It's out there somewhere. I shan't give up!
This movie's . . . weird. However, I think it’s pushing the proverbial envelope about half as far as it could have. That line where Jesse talks about being a “dangerous girl” is mostly symbolic in context. She’s “dangerous” not because of anything she’s done, but because people become envious, insecure, possessive, and suspicious just by her merely existing as a stunning natural beauty. In other words, Jesse has very little agency. She’s young and beautiful, and people react to her being young and beautiful. Which disappoints me, because I was hoping for a Dorian Gray or Elizabeth Bathory type situation where she had done something unspeakable--and possibly supernatural--to stay that way.
The queerness comes into it when Ruby confesses her feelings for Jesse, but then Jesse doesn’t reciprocate, and that’s when it starts to get ugly. Which is so disappointing, because I was hoping they would actually get together, and I don’t know why director Nicolas Winding Refn decided they shouldn’t. To be fair, changing Ruby and Jesse’s relationship so the attraction isn’t one-sided would completely change the ending, and I do rather like the ending, but here’s the other thing: I’m convinced there are at least two movies in this movie. One is about a young girl trying to make her way through the cutthroat fashion industry, and finds happiness in a sweet romance with a tough and wise makeup artist. The other is about a struggling but ruthless supermodel who devours her competition to stay on top. Literally. I would watch, and love, both of them, but I’m not sure they belong in the same movie.
The Neon Demon is highly stylized and was met with sharply divided opinions when it came out. I’ve watched it twice and I’m not done unpacking it yet. Check it out, and see what you think.
There's a scene in the beginning of this movie where our four central characters--Jesse (Elle Fanning), Ruby (Jena Malone), Sarah (Abbey Lee), and Gigi (Bella Heathcote)--are discussing lipstick colors. Ruby says that, according to market research, women are more likely to buy lipsticks if the name evokes either sex or food. They then ask Jesse what her color would be: "Are you sex, or food?" This is more on the nose on the second watch, by the way.
But just for fun, let's go through Rhoda's favorite lipstick colors and see if this is true:
-Air Kiss (hot pink, glossy)
-Pink Passion (Barbie pink, glossy)
-Red Velvet (classic red, matte)
-Sugar Plum Fairy (deep purple, matte)
-Dare Devil (black, glossy)
-Cherry Bomb (classic red, glossy)
-Gladiolus (classic red, glossy)
...and one with the label worn off that I can no longer read. So, about half and half. Although, fun story: I once got a pack of lip gloss that had NO names, and immediately went through them and gave them names like, "Victorian Seance" (iridescent gold), "Ectoplasm" (no-tint shimmer), and "Carrie's Prom Dress" (shimmery pink). I am still searching for a red lipstick called "Blood of My Enemies." It's out there somewhere. I shan't give up!
This movie's . . . weird. However, I think it’s pushing the proverbial envelope about half as far as it could have. That line where Jesse talks about being a “dangerous girl” is mostly symbolic in context. She’s “dangerous” not because of anything she’s done, but because people become envious, insecure, possessive, and suspicious just by her merely existing as a stunning natural beauty. In other words, Jesse has very little agency. She’s young and beautiful, and people react to her being young and beautiful. Which disappoints me, because I was hoping for a Dorian Gray or Elizabeth Bathory type situation where she had done something unspeakable--and possibly supernatural--to stay that way.
The queerness comes into it when Ruby confesses her feelings for Jesse, but then Jesse doesn’t reciprocate, and that’s when it starts to get ugly. Which is so disappointing, because I was hoping they would actually get together, and I don’t know why director Nicolas Winding Refn decided they shouldn’t. To be fair, changing Ruby and Jesse’s relationship so the attraction isn’t one-sided would completely change the ending, and I do rather like the ending, but here’s the other thing: I’m convinced there are at least two movies in this movie. One is about a young girl trying to make her way through the cutthroat fashion industry, and finds happiness in a sweet romance with a tough and wise makeup artist. The other is about a struggling but ruthless supermodel who devours her competition to stay on top. Literally. I would watch, and love, both of them, but I’m not sure they belong in the same movie.
The Neon Demon is highly stylized and was met with sharply divided opinions when it came out. I’ve watched it twice and I’m not done unpacking it yet. Check it out, and see what you think.