The Neon Demon Ending Explained

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The Neon Demon is a film that’s better experienced than explained. Because while I can tell you about the crazy third act, the regurgitated eyeballs, and the 2nd craziest necrophilia scene of all time, it just wouldn’t be the same as you actually seeing it.

So watch it, love it or hate it, and let’s talk about Nicolas Winding Refn’s newest film The Neon Demon.

The Title

So let’s start with the title - what is the Neon Demon?

You can say that the Neon aspect comes in the first half where everything is enticing and beautiful which then abruptly turns into the Demon side of things in the second half. The Neon also being the façade that's meant to draw you in, whereas the Demon is the dark reality that hits you with the truth. Yet, interestingly enough, the first half seems more realistic than that nightmarish finale.  

COLORS:

It’s crazy to think that Refn is color-blind when he makes such stunning looking films. But with the help of cinematographer Natasha Braier, he sets up this color pallet that begins with blues signifying innocence and sexy purples that entice you. In Jesse’s first photo shoot, we see her turning into gold and see her beginning to wear more of it as she becomes more successful.

Red is used throughout for characters like Ruby - the makeup artist for the dead and the living who merely creates allusions of beauty - in where the red is a way of symbolizing betrayal and leads up to the most pivotal part of the film, the runway scene.

Here, the entire color scheme goes from blue to red as Jesse starts to lose her innocence.  

MIRRORS:

Refn also uses mirrors by having Jesse’s reflection be shown whenever she’s vulnerable and then being front and center when she becomes more aggressive.

Her kissing her reflection is her falling in love with herself. 

PREDATORS/CANNIBALISM:

If Sarah attacking Jesse on all fours, having a leopard appear as Jesse’s career starts, Ruby sitting in front of a Wolf signifying she’s the leader of the pack and having them all ultimately eat Jesse doesn’t get the point across - then maybe Refn’s next film about Amazonian women will.  

It’s also interesting to see the parallels between the eating disorders seen in the modeling world and the metaphorical use of cannibalism to represent this “dog eat dog” lifestyle. At the end, when Gigi looks at the pool you can see it as her feeling guilty and having to “get her out of her”. But considering she’s the one who was obsessed with surgery - and like the modeling agent states, “You can tell when beauty is manufactured” - Gigi’s body rejects the pureness found in Jesse.

Sarah, on the other hand, has no problem eating the eye - the same one the film opens on. 

NECROPHILIA: 

I'm just going to let Ryan Gosling break this one down..

Now that we've covered all of that craziness let us know your thoughts. Did you like the film? What is your favorite Refn film? Let us know down below!