Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, I enjoyed his 2011 movie ‘Drive’. Sure some of the slow scenes and long pauses and deep and meaningful looks between Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan gave it a hint of pretentiousness at times, but that was easily outweighed by the stylisation, imagery and soundtrack. So Refn must have figured he could take those qualities up a notch or two when he wrote and directed the Neon Demon.
Cheryl strayed from the path after her mother’s death and to find her way again she decides to hike 1100 miles to redemption along the Pacific Crest Trail.
It really is a roadtrip movie – well a hiking journey movie – and Cheryl’s experiences along the way are small, focusing on the here and now – be it meeting men she is not sure she can trust, various animals, or kind strangers. The storytelling is interspersed with flashbacks allowing us to learn a bit more about who she is and why she is on this hike.