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Movie review: ‘Neon Demon' lights up the screen with darkness

When a film this weird opens this wide ... yes, it will be playing at a cineplex near you, not just at your local art house ... there's either something really wrong or refreshingly healthy happening in the movie business. I'm opting for the latter, though I've got to mention that when I recently saw "The Neon Demon" in an audience of about 400 people, close to two dozen walked out well before it was over. One woman, while heading for the door, was yelling at the screen: "Why would anyone want to see this? Who writes this crap?"

Over at the other end of the spectrum, there I was, in my aisle seat (right where that ranting woman passed by), my mouth agape at what was happening on the screen, and happily, if sometimes uncomfortably, being caught up in its spell. The Internet Movie Data Base lists the film in three categories: Drama, Horror, and Thriller. What the Website also should have included is that you've never seen Keanu Reeves, in a small role, play a character so completely vile before. Nor have you seen Jena Malone, in an enigmatic supporting part, do what she does here. The same goes for 18-year-old Elle Fanning, who stars as a wide-eyed and innocent 16-year-old orphan who travels from Georgia to Los Angeles with hopes for a career in modeling. With quite a few films to her credit ("Trumbo, "Ginger & Rosa," and "Somewhere" feature standout work), this is her best performance yet, as she keeps you wondering if her character is naive or controlling.

But beyond what the actors do here, you've never seen a film like this, though you might feel you have if you've seen anything by David Lynch or Nicolas Roeg or Terry Malick ... or this film's director, Nicolas Winding Refn (be sure to check out his Tom Hardy-starring tour de force "Bronson").

"The Neon Demon" is a condemnation of Los Angeles, and what the city can do to people. Its opening image is of a dead woman in a blue dress, sprawled on a couch, her throat slashed. A man with a camera is getting shots of this. But don't worry. It's actually a case of creating art.

He's a photographer, she's a model. And in short order Jesse (Fanning) is in the bathroom, wiping off the "blood" with the assistance of a makeup artist named Ruby (Jena Malone) who, recognizing that this beautiful blonde waif is new in town, offers to take her under her wing, invites her to her first L.A. party, and introduces her to some empty-headed model friends, Sarah (Abbey Lee) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote).

Listening to and looking at the reactions of almost everyone she meets, Jesse is soon made to understand that she's got that little something extra, that inexplicable essence that makes some people instantly hate her (there are daggers in the eyes of Sarah and Gigi because they're afraid she'll get their modeling gigs), and some melt in front of her (a heartless and cruel male fashion designer — couldn't catch the character's name — is rendered speechless, and his eyes start to tear up when he first sees her.

But throughout the film's kinetic visuals and mostly electronic score that's sometimes soothing and sometimes annoyingly harsh, Jesse wanders around, trying to figure out what makes this strange West Coast city tick. She must fight off sexual advances, possible attempts at murder, and ever-growing jealousy; and let's not forget the mountain lion that finds its way into her motel room. She also has to deal with the unexpectedly easy road to success that she finds herself walking, but doesn't understand.

This is a hazy, fever dream of a movie that keeps leaning toward the edges of nightmare, then finally falls into the abyss of what some — like those folks at IMDB — would call horror. There's some nudity and violence and gore, along with a dollop of very dark humor to temper it. One thing for sure is that you will not leave the film whistling a happy tune. But you might be convinced that a career in modeling is not for you, and neither is the City of Los Angeles nor its denizens.

— Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now.

"The Neon Demon"

Written by Nicolas Winding Refn, Mary Laws, Polly Stenham; directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

With Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, Keanu Reeves

Rated R