If you are fans of Nicolas Winding Refn’s cinema, then mark September 28 on your paper calendar with a bold marker, if you still happen to use one. That evening, MUBI organized a particularly enticing special event. To mark the fifteenth anniversary of Drive, the streaming service, which also acts as a global distributor and production company, launched the Refn Celebration. In the cinemas taking part in the program, audiences will be able to watch the 4K restored version of Drive and take part in a live-streamed chat with the director, moderated by journalist and film critic Mattia Carzaniga. After that, there will be a screening of Her Private Hell, all with a single ticket. This very film will be distributed by MUBI and will hit theaters on September 30, but the luckiest attendees had the chance to see it at the latest Cannes Film Festival, where the Danish filmmaker became emotional while speaking about the severe heart condition that nearly cost him his life three years ago.
Ten years after The Neon Demon, Refn opts for stylization and hypnotic, sparse atmospheres, giving a nod to masters like Brian De Palma and David Lynch to guide us into a futuristic city inhabited by mournful and often inscrutable characters. When a mysterious fog begins to engulf the metropolis, it releases a lethal presence that turns the urban space into a nightmare. The story follows a young woman who is in search of her missing father and whose fate becomes entwined with that of an American soldier. The cast of Her Private Hell includes Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Kristine Froseth, Havana Rose Liu, Diego Calva, and Dougray Scott.
Regarding Drive, which was also shown at the Cannes Festival and won the prize for Best Director, there is a lot to discuss and yet very little at the same time, as it has long since become a cult movie. You’ll surely recall the peak of Ryan Gosling’s popularity that followed the film’s release. The role played by the actor was that of a race car driver who, in the past, had tangled with the Mafia, who meets a woman, and who, much like the Sorrentino-esque Titta Di Girolamo, ends up underestimating the consequences of love. Beside Gosling starred Carey Mulligan.
Nicolas Winding Refn, anyway, has directed other extraordinary films, including Bronson (with Tom Hardy) and Valhalla Rising (with Mads Mikkelsen). Before The Neon Demon, whose lead actress was Elle Fanning, he had made Only God Forgives.
Comments