'Neon Demon' director says he's 'addicted' to darkness

At Chicago's Waldorf Astoria Hotel Monday, I asked polarizing Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn - director of such edgy works as "Only God Forgives," "Bronson" and "Drive," plus the new horror tale "The Neon Demon" - why the dark side holds such a strong appeal for him.

"I'm addicted," he said. "I think that I've come to realize that I very much enjoy living out my fantasies.

"I used to say that I have a very dark side, and the way to exorcise the darkness is to do what I do. I need to cleanse everything inside of me, knowing it's going to come back. That sounds very pretentious and self-indulgent. That's what creativity is."

So, what motivates him as a storyteller?

"I like fear," he replied. "Fear breeds creativity. So, you put yourself in a position of constant fear. Constant disaster. Constant no-turning-back. So it forces you to go, instinctually, in a direction. Every movie I make I make as if it was going to be my last."

"Neon Demon" opens this weekend. It stars Elle Fanning as an out-of-town cutie caught up in an amoral nightmare world of L.A. fashion and photo shoots. I asked how Refn approached working with the then-16-year-old actress, Dakota Fanning's sister.

"We are going to create a child together, and this child is going to be (Elle's character) Jesse," he said. "We are both important to its evolution. But she's out in front. I have to create a sense of security so she feels free to release herself 100 percent. That's an intimate process."

I asked Refn if he would ever work with the French production company Gaumount again after making "Neon Demon" and "Only God Forgives" through it.

"What's great about the French is that they love their filmmakers," he said. "And if they love you, they really love you. My only obligation was to make them money. And I made them a lot of money. So everyone's very happy."

Refn infamously threw a desk into a wall while attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. He was expelled. Why did he do it?

"I did not want to be bound or controlled," he said. "I reacted in a scene. I threw a desk against the wall. That was deemed unprofessional. I don't remember what scene it was."

A long pause.

"I don't want to be controlled."

<h3 class="briefHead">Filmmaker not tickled</h3>

"Tickled," a new documentary opening at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, ranks as one of the strangest pieces of investigative journalism I've seen on film.

When two New Zealanders David Farrier and Dylan Reeve began investigating an online video phenomenon called "competitive endurance tickling" (yes, who can last the longest being tickled), the American company behind the videos, Jane O'Brien Media, went into attack mode, issuing legal threats demanding Farrier and Reeve stop their inquiries.

So, they decided to make a documentary about the company that they contend has bullied their clients, ruined their lives, careers and reputations, and left them not at all tickled pink.

I briefly spoke with Farrier, who was in Chicago recently.

Q. In the face of legal threats and other pressures, why did you and Mr. Reeve continue to shoot your documentary?

A. Dylan and I have issues with the ethics of bullying. We thought we were being bullied. Then we found that people on the internet all around the world were being bullied as well by this company that was making these tickling videos. There was an injustice here that nothing was being done about.

Q. Why make a documentary instead of approaching professional investigative reporters?

A. It was the one thing we could do to expose what was going on. I think you should never underestimate the power of telling a story about complicated issues and thoughts and distill that into a 90-minute feature film. It's not an easy thing to do, but it can be incredibly effective.

Q. You started out just looking at the subject of strange tickling videos, but your doc uncovers something far more sinister and disturbing, almost like a warning to people to be aware of the dark forces lurking in the open on the internet.

A. This is not a story about tickling. It's about power and control. In America, there's this huge disparity between the rich and the poor. And if you've got money, you can get away with a lot.

Q. You have worked as a culture reporter on New Zealand television for several years. Why did you opt to go into the documentary business?

A. You have time to look into a story and really dig into it. It's hugely rewarding. To be able to dig into something is an enjoyable experience. That's the reason a lot of people go into journalism. They enjoy discovering things. They enjoy exposing things.

<h3 class="briefHead">Film critics notebook</h3>

Tickets to "Hamilton" may be the current rage in Chicago, but they are dwarfed by the greatest tickets of all: Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets, given to five lucky winners in the 1971 movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

The Gene Wilder fave will be shown on the silver screen four times next week at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 26, and Wednesday, June 29, at 25 Illinois movie theaters, including many Northwest suburban locations. Go to bit.ly/28KJHBJ for tickets and venues. $12.50 admission.

Chicago Film Critics Association member Dominick Suzanne-Mayer will introduce Mel Brook's classic western comedy "Blazing Saddles" as part of the Elk Grove Theatre's summer celebration of the village's 60th anniversary. It takes place at 7 p.m. Monday, June 27, at 1050 Arlington Heights Road, Elk Grove Village. Admission: $1!

Go to classiccinemas.com or chicagofilmcritics.org. Coming up: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" July 25 and "Jurassic Park" (the good original one) Aug. 22.

"Cover your ears and open your heart" reads the ad slogan for French director Xavier Giannoli's "Marguerite," about a rich chanteuse with more money than talent who exposes the hypocrisy of her shallow social circle by encouraging their false praises. It was inspired by soprano Florence Foster Jenkins, played by Meryl Streep in an upcoming Stephen Frears movie.

The After Hours Film Society presents "Marguerite" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 27, at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. General admission costs $10 ($6 for members). Go to afterhoursfilmsociety.com.

Dann Gire's column runs Friday in Time out!