THE NEON DEMON. The Witches of Modelling World Deciphered

However, I don’t see any deeper intention behind this because Refn is simply a self-confident buffoon and a narcissist. He made a film that most people won’t like and is probably as proud as a peacock about it. While one might leave the self-absorbed Dane to his own devices since he’s not much of a storyteller, few contemporary directors can delight the viewer’s eyes with visuals as he can. But is The Neon Demon just a beautiful facade? Are all the references and symbols in the film so simple that any viewer could grasp them? Will I overanalyze with my own — perhaps too far-reaching — interpretation?

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING TEXT CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Neon Demon tells the story of sixteen-year-old Jesse (Elle Fanning), a beautiful girl who dreams of becoming a model. To pursue this, she heads to Los Angeles, where she advances her career. Jesse quickly gains the admiration of photographers and designers but comes into conflict with her competitors in the fashion world. She becomes aware of her unique, natural beauty, which leads to her demise at the hands of jealous models and Ruby (Jena Malone), a makeup artist infatuated with Jesse. The synopsis of The Neon Demon suggests references to the ancient myth of Narcissus, a handsome youth who, indifferent to the advances of nymphs and maidens, fell in love with his own reflection. The same happens to Jesse.

During a fashion show, she falls in love with her own reflection. She also rejects the advances of Dean (Karl Glusman) and Ruby. From this perspective, The Neon Demon is also a straightforward satire on the fashion and show business world, which, as everyone knows, devours and spits out aspirants. Thus, one could close the topic of analyzing Refn’s film and criticize it for a poor storyline. But what to make of certain scenes that introduce elements of surrealism? How to explain the necrophilic subplot? And what did Refn mean when he mentioned in an interview that he was inspired by Elizabeth Bathory? Could the myth of Narcissus be intertwined with some occult or vampiric symbolism, and the film itself depicts a kind of ritual that allowed Gigi (Bella Heathcote), Sarah (Abbey Lee), and Ruby to maintain eternal youth and beauty?

The opening scene of the film shows what appears to be a dead, bloodied woman lying on a couch. The camera zooms out, and we realize it’s a photo shoot, and the girl on the couch is the main character, merely posing. This scene foreshadows that not everything we’ll see later will be what it seems. So when Ruby helps Jesse remove the fake blood from her skin, it’s as if she washes away her past. She invites her to a party, where Jesse meets Gigi and Sarah (the models already know Jesse’s past). Ruby boasts about her find, and in light of later events, it’s hard not to notice that this conversation is a kind of test: is Jesse suitable for the ritual? A significant moment, considering what will happen next, is when one of the models asks Jesse, Are you food, or are you sex? and the following sequence of a kinbaku show (Japanese rope art) only strengthens the feeling that Jesse passed the test positively.

The photo shoot with Jack, followed by Ruby’s warning to Jesse to stay away from the photographer, indicates that Ruby wants the young model for herself. Similarly, the large, wild cat appearing in Jesse’s motel room after her date with Dean is a surreal motif, which could be attributed to the demonic forces surrounding Jesse, and thus suspect that one of the witches (Ruby, Sarah, or Gigi) took the form of the animal to test Jesse’s virtue. This scene also suggests that by leaving the door open, Jesse allowed danger to creep into her life. After the casting sequence for a fashion show, where the designer is captivated by Jesse while ignoring Sarah, the model’s animal instincts are revealed. She cuts the protagonist’s hand and pounces to drink the blood flowing from the wound, as if she couldn’t wait for the ritual’s conclusion. During Dean and Jesse’s date, she mentions that as a little girl, she talked to the moon, which reminded her of a big eye. In light of later events, this also seems significant. After all, the moon accompanies all magical rituals, and its goddess is Diana, supposedly worshiped by witches.

Armed with this knowledge, the viewer reaches a pivotal moment in The Neon Demon. Amidst flickering triangles, Jesse — an Alice in Wonderland — transforms into a neon demon. In the triangular mirrors, she sees her own reflection and looks different than before: confident, beautiful, and stronger than ever. She kisses her reflection and believes everyone wants to be her, then permanently rejects Dean. The motif of such presented triangles could symbolize that she was surrounded by Ruby, Sarah, and Gigi. Moreover, triangles in occultism usually denote Satan (3 sides + 3 vertices = 6, which with three triangles gives 6, 6, and 6). The play of lights and colors also deserves attention. Until now, Jesse was depicted in blue light; after transforming into a demon, red dominates the main character’s surroundings — the color that accompanies every scene with Ruby. An interesting touch, especially since the director is colorblind.

The Neon Demon also features the character Hank, played by Keanu Reeves. Hank is the owner of the motel where Jesse stays. In one scene following the protagonist’s transformation, she has a very realistic dream in which Hank thrusts a knife blade down her throat. Upon waking, Jesse hears the sounds of rape from the next room and, frightened, spends the night with Ruby. It’s possible that both the nightmare and the noises were provoked by the witches. It seems the scene with Hank contributes to Jesse’s growing paranoia, ultimately leading to the ritual’s conclusion. Ruby manages to lure Jesse into a large house. On-site, stuffed animals can be seen, which adds context to the wild cat scene in the motel room. The witch tries to seduce the victim and desires to have sex with her. It seems that the demon born inside the protagonist is so strong and enticing that even Ruby can’t resist her. Rejected, Ruby draws a sigil on the mirror resembling a face with crossed-out eyes — a symbol foreshadowing upcoming events — and the film begins to gallop frantically. We witness a scene of Ruby having sex with a human corpse (Ruby’s second job is painting the deceased before funerals), which could as well be Jesse’s sick fantasy.

After the necrophilic subplot comes a cannibalistic one. Surrounded by Gigi, Sarah, and Ruby, the protagonist is pushed into an empty pool where she dies in the moonlight. The two models and the makeup artist bathe in her blood and — as suggested by the scene of Gigi committing seppuku — eat young Jesse. The bloody ablutions indicate inspirations from Elizabeth Bathory’s life, who allegedly bathed in the blood of virgins to maintain her youthful appearance between the 16th and 17th centuries. In the next scene, Ruby experiences something akin to menstruation in the moonlight, suggesting the rejuvenating treatment worked (menstruation here symbolizes youth and innocence). In another shot, the naked, tattooed Ruby lies in a “cemetery,” presumably intended for Jesse, surrounded by red roses. This may indicate that Jesse is not the first victim of the witches’ ritual. It also seems that Gigi’s vomiting, followed by her seppuku, might convey to the audience that she feels guilty and perhaps is new to the devilish trio. Sarah’s behavior, eating Jesse’s eye rejected by Gigi, suggests experience in practicing the ritual. Jesse’s eye is the last and first thing we see in The Neon Demon — the ritual will repeat.

Nicolas Winding Refn has already shot commercials for the biggest fashion designers and seems to have gotten to know this environment inside out. The above analysis allowed me to play with the Dane’s imagery, which as a satire on the fashion world and a new portrayal of the popular myth of Narcissus is merely a nicely packaged bottle of mediocre-quality perfume. In my opinion, The Neon Demon as a story of witches and a certain ritual smells much better.