While Netflix made a spirited defense of their business model last week, their rivals at Amazon currently have five films at the Cannes Film Festival, and right now, the narrative is they are doing greater good for the cinematic landscape. Cannes honcho Thierry Fremaux himself praised Amazon, and now a director who has benefitted from their artist-driven approach is also singing their praises.
Later this week, Nicolas Winding Refn will unspool his fashion industry horror “The Neon Demon” on the Croisette, and he makes it crystal clear that the ambitious movie couldn’t have been made by any other company. And moreover, they are making a huge impact on the industry.
“The best offer I’ve ever gotten in my life was from Amazon. Their whole approach is a blessing,” the director told Variety. “They’re pretty much the key factor in saving independent cinema. You get the best of both worlds because they’re pairing their theatrical releases with a streaming service. The best way to see a movie is theatrical. It’s not the only way, but it’s certainly the best way.”
This assessment naturally led the trade to ask Refn about The Screening Room, the startup that is proposing to bring theatrical films day-and-date into homes for $50 each. And while Refn doesn’t know the specifics, he’s still a big proponent of going to the movies.
“There is something we must not forget about the theatrical experience, which is that it’s very much part of our lives. We go to movies with our parents. We go to movies as a couple on a date night when the kids are with the babysitter. You go to movies as a senior because you get a discount, but also as a way to be around other people,” Refn explained. “The cinematic experience is not just based on seeing the movie. It’s based on the experience. The experience brings people together. Of course you can go see a museum online, but it’s not the same.”
About his upcoming film, Refn remained cagey (“Having done several films about men, I thought it would be interesting to do a film about women, and one that’s mostly from a 16-year-old girl’s point of view”) but shouted out some praise for a recent horror flick.
” ‘It Follows‘ was to me a very smart, sophisticated, intelligent film. Like great horror, it’s all metaphor. ‘It Follows’ is about angst over teenage sexuality,” he said.
“The Neon Demon” opens on June 24th. Check out some new images and an international poster below. 
