The Neon Demon 2016

The curtain opens on Jesse (Elle Fanning), a stunning blonde teenager, posed languidly on a love seat as lifeblood trickles down her body and onto the surrounding floor. The somber tableau serves as the backdrop for a photo shoot orchestrated by Dean (Karl Glusman), an ambitious young photographer who connected with Jesse online. This endeavour allows Dean to hone his craft, while providing Jesse with the professional headshots she desperately needs. As the session concludes, Jesse struggles to remove the artificial blood from her skin, only to be aided by Ruby (Jena Malone), a makeup artist with a keen eye for detail and a warm demeanor. As they work together, Ruby learns that Jesse is new in town and this marks her first foray into the world of professional photography. Jesse confides in Ruby about her current living arrangements – a humble motel room in Pasadena – and Ruby responds by offering her friendship and an invitation to a high-society party later that evening.

The night unfolds with Jesse mingling among the coterie of models at the party, where she encounters Sarah (Abbey Lee) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote), two Australian-accented beauties. Gigi regales the gathering with tales of her extensive cosmetic surgeries, while Sarah delivers a candid assessment of the industry’s priorities: “who you’re having sex with.” Despite the chilly reception from the veteran models, Jesse finds herself enthralled by the spectacle unfolding before her – a seemingly levitating model suspended above a mysterious blue triangle, bathed in the pulsating glow of strobe lights.

The morning after the party, Jesse arrives at a prestigious modeling agency for an interview with Roberta Hoffman (Christina Hendricks), a sharp-eyed and perceptive industry veteran. Roberta is effusive in her praise of Jesse’s beauty and prophetic about her potential success. As they converse, Jesse reveals her tender age – 16 – prompting Roberta to promptly dispatch a parental consent form, while also coaching Jesse on the importance of presenting herself as a 19-year-old. This calculated manipulation allows Jesse to bypass the industry’s strict age restrictions.

As Jesse celebrates her signing with Dean, they embark on a nighttime drive up to the Hollywood Hills, where they gaze out upon the city below. Jesse shares her long-held insecurities about her lack of talent, but expresses confidence in her ability to generate income solely through her physical appeal. Dean, clearly smitten with Jesse, yet cautious due to her youth, offers words of encouragement as she grapples with the moral implications of lying about her age.

As Jesse prepares for her most significant photo shoot yet with renowned photographer Jack (Desmond Harrington), Ruby’s astute makeup skills bring out the best in her. However, things take an unexpected turn when Jack closes the set, leaving Jesse alone and vulnerable to his artistic inclinations. With a single glance, he decrees that this photo session will be a solitary affair, allowing him to intimately capture Jesse’s essence with gold paint and camera lens. As she poses, Jack’s sensual touch ignites a sizzling chemistry between them, resulting in an unforgettable photo shoot. Afterward, Ruby meets up with Jesse outside the studio, offering words of caution about men like Jack and her friendship is gratefully received.

Later that evening, Jesse reunites with Gigi and Sarah at a local diner, where they discuss her meteoric rise to fame in the modeling world. Ruby’s candid assessment of Jesse’s unique appeal only serves to fuel Gigi and Sarah’s envy. Meanwhile, Jesse returns to her motel room to find an unwelcome intruder rummaging through her belongings. She reports the incident to the disagreeable manager Hank (Keanu Reeves), who inspects the damage caused by a curious cougar that had slipped into her room while she was out.

The next day, Jesse finds herself at a high-stakes casting call, where Sarah’s animosity towards her is palpable. However, it’s not until she meets the enigmatic fashion designer (Allesandro Nivola) that Jesse truly comes alive. Entranced by her presence, he offers her an immediate contract, leaving Sarah reeling in despair. In a poignant moment, Jesse walks in on a distraught Sarah, who has broken down in the bathroom and is now hurling trash cans at the mirror. Jesse’s words of encouragement are met with a bitter retort from Sarah, who asks what it’s like to be universally adored. Jesse replies that it’s everything she ever wanted.

However, her euphoria is short-lived as she suffers a nasty cut on her hand while auditioning for the designer’s latest campaign. In a moment of desperation, Sarah attempts to lick Jesse’s wound, sending her into a panic. Jesse flees the scene and makes her way back to her motel room, where Dean finds her later, battered and unconscious. With tender care, he extracts the shard from her hand and pays off Hank for the damages caused by the marauding cougar. As Dean settles the bill, Hank’s parting shot is a crass remark about Jesse’s worth being directly tied to his own desires. The implication is further underscored when he offers up a 13-year-old runaway as a “gift” in the room next door, leaving Dean horrified by the depravity.

Here is the rephrased section:

As the lights dimmed on the fashion runway, the anticipation was palpable. The enigmatic designer’s latest creation was about to unfold, with both Jesse and Gigi taking center stage. However, a sudden twist emerged when the designer announced his intention to feature Jesse as the show-stopping closing model, leaving Gigi and the other models in a state of bewilderment. As the lights flashed on, Jesse’s mind began to wander, and she found herself lost in a surreal scenario where mirror images of herself indulged in a sensual encounter within a shimmering blue triangle.

Later that evening, Jesse invited Dean to a exclusive gathering with the designer and his entourage, but the conversation quickly turned into a scathing critique of Gigi’s physical appearance. The designer’s caustic remarks about her numerous plastic surgeries only fueled the fire, prompting Dean to defend beauty’s value. However, when the designer insisted that beauty was what drove Dean’s interest in Jesse, he had reached his breaking point and departed the party. Jesse eventually found him waiting for her at the hotel, where he confided in her that she was the true treasure amidst a sea of mediocrity. Feeling suffocated by their superficial world, Jesse made the bold decision to dump Dean.

That night, Jesse’s subconscious was haunted by a chilling nightmare featuring Hank, who slowly manipulated her into opening her mouth wider while eerily demanding more. The dream became all too real when she woke up to the sound of an intruder attempting to enter her room. With a surge of adrenaline, Jesse managed to outmaneuver him and secure the door just in time. Her encounter with the unseen man had left her shaken, but it was what happened next that would truly test her resolve. She discovered the same individual had broken into the neighboring room, committing a heinous act against a 13-year-old runaway. Horrified by this revelation, Jesse sought solace in Ruby’s comforting presence.

Ruby invited Jesse to stay at an opulent mansion she was house-sitting, where they spent the night sharing stories and laughter. However, as the evening wore on, Ruby’s intentions became increasingly clear. Despite Jesse’s protests about her heterosexuality and virginity, Ruby continued to press her advances. Feeling disrespected and trapped, Jesse forcibly pushed Ruby away, signaling a turning point in their tumultuous relationship.

The next morning, Ruby found herself at a loss for words after her friend’s rejection. Seeking solace in her work as a mortician, she began to prepare the bodies awaiting burial at the morgue. As she applied her makeup skills, Ruby’s imagination ran wild, and she envisioned one of the deceased women as Jesse. Her fantasies eventually took a dark turn as she succumbed to her desires, finding comfort on top of the lifeless form.

As Jesse slips into the tranquil atmosphere of the mansion’s opulent decor, she transforms into a vision of elegance, adorned in a stunning gown and meticulously crafted makeup. Ruby’s return finds Jesse poised on the diving board above an empty swimming pool, her words dripping with a sense of longing as she confides to her friend that people have always coveted her beauty, some willing to go to great lengths to attain it. The atmosphere is heavy with foreboding as Jesse retreats back into the mansion, where Gigi and Sarah await; their sinister intentions soon become apparent as they launch a brutal attack on Jesse, driving her fleeing once more outside, where Ruby awaits. With a chilling echo of her earlier words, Ruby pushes Jesse into the depths of the empty pool, resulting in a fatal fall that claims her life.

In the aftermath, the three girls - Ruby, Gigi, and Sarah - display a monstrous lack of remorse as they claim Jesse’s lifeless body for their own dark purposes. They then proceed to feast on her flesh, bathing in her blood as they revel in their newfound power (it is revealed that these girls are actually a coven of Elizabeth Báthory-vampire hybrids).

The next day dawns, and Ruby tends to the mansion’s flora with an air of nonchalance, reading from a book while reclining atop Jesse’s freshly dug grave. Gigi accompanies Sarah to a beachside photoshoot directed by Jack, where she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight as another model is abruptly fired, replaced by her in the shot alongside Sarah. However, Gigi’s beauty is short-lived, as she becomes violently ill and retreats to a bathroom. Panicked, Gigi screams out for release from her internal torment and ultimately takes her own life with a pair of scissors.

Sarah rushes to Gigi’s aid, witnessing the horrific scene unfold before her eyes. Undeterred, she devours the regurgitated eyeball that had once belonged to Jesse, returning to the photoshoot as if nothing were amiss. The film concludes abruptly, leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and dread.