Premiering tonight at Cannes is Nicolas Winding Refn’s first feature in a decade, Her Private Hell. Surprisingly, it’s not playing in Competition, which might tell us something about what to expect. Even The Neon Demon managed to get a slot vying for the Palme d’Or. Should we be concerned?
It’s really tough to tell based on the brief teaser released by NEON, which is extremely busy this Cannes season. The film boasts one Hell of a cast including Sophie Thatcher, Havana Rose Liu, Charles Melton, Kristine Froseth, Dougray Scott, and Diego Calva. But it’s tough to tell what’s actually going on, other than lots of neon colors, pretty people staring blankly at whatever, and Melton going all kung-fu on somebody.
Written by Refn and Esti Giordani, Her Private Hell takes place in a futuristic metropolis engufled by a strange mist. Thatcher’s character is a troubled young woman in search of her father, with Melton as an American GI engaged in a desperate journey to rescue his daughter from Hell.
Alrighty then.
Look, I’m a Refn fan and have been since the beginning. Sometimes he can get a little too abstract for his own good, and based on what I’m hearing, this might be the most experimental film he’s ever done. We’ll see.
Her Private Hell hits theaters on July 24th.
