How odd that Nicolas Winding Refn, who has had his last three films compete for the Palme d’Or, will now be relegated to an out-of-competition slot at Cannes with his latest, “Her Private Hell.”
It came to the point where the film’s distributor, Neon, released a first image this morning with the Cannes stamp—except it said “competition.” Were they also taken aback by the downgrade?
Regardless, in that first image — which can be viewed below — we see the film’s lead, Sophie Thatcher, drenched in Refn’s usual neon lighting. The rest of the cast includes Charles Melton, Kristine Froseth, and Havana Rose Liu.
Plot details? “As a strange mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis and unleashes an elusive, deadly presence, a troubled young woman sets out in search of her father. In the course of her quest, her fate intersects with that of an American GI engaged in a desperate journey to pull his daughter out of Hell.”
In a more recent chat with Variety, Refn revealed the film is set in Japan, will be in both English and Japanese, and is based on an original story that promises “lots of glitter, sex, and violence.” So, basically, it’s a Refn film.
This marks Refn’s first feature in over ten years. His last one was the delightfully divisive “The Neon Demon” in 2016, a body-horror acid trip starring Elle Fanning that debuted at Cannes to a chorus of boos, bravos, and early exits. He’s kept busy with TV, directing “Copenhagen Cowboy” for Netflix, Amazon’s “Too Old to Die Young,” and producing the BBC’s “The Famous Five.”
Refn’s filmography includes “Drive,” “Bronson,” and the “Pusher” trilogy. He’s actually supposed to shoot another film this fall, a “Maniac Cop” remake that still hasn’t been officially announced. For now, “Her Private Hell” is next.
