"Her Private Hell" - Thatcher in the Sky

A tower spirals through the mists of the city below. Within it is Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor taking on the lead in a retro science fiction film, alongside her young wide-eyed co-star Hunter (Kristine Froseth), and her fellow co-star, friend and now step mother Dominique (Havana Rose Liu). Within the walls of the building, amidst much quasi-philosophising and naval gazing, Elle crosses paths with an American soldier (Charles Melton), a pair of mischievous kitsune (Shioli Kutsuna and Aoi Yamada) and a diamond encrusted serial killer known as "The Leather Man"...

(Credit: The San Francisco Chronicle)
I like Nicolas winding Refn, I like his style and that he just sort of goes nuts.
This one is dreadful, but I can see it making for a goldmine of gif sets and Tumblr afficionados, and obtaining something of a cult following.
Gorgeously framed and designed, with an (as usual) mesmerising score and set design, all neons and blues and pinks and reds, it has the obtuse and unusual quirks the director wishes to be known for: Aoi Yamada and Shioli Kutsuna are my favourite parts, as these enigmatic kitsune who wouldn't be amiss in a David Lynch film, and there is enough ambiguity to interest somebody.
Unfortunately it's all naval gazing piss.
Lynch is at his best because he is evocative of dreams, and does not wish to explain himself as the art speaks for itself. Winding Refn is simply spewing nonsense and, more importantly, is boring here.
Despite step-mother incest, dancing kitsune, a fairly fun mini-"Drive" partway through, and exploding hearts from chests, I was looking at my watch. It didn't wish to be a moment in time, it wished to waste mine.
It's not particularly engaging, despite some commitment from Thatcher and an extremely game Liu, and suffers as a result.
I find it piss, but that being said: I admire the confidence in making a movie for 8 people, all of them Hideo Kojima. Honestly I respect that.