A film is powerful when you cannot stop thinking about it. ‘Vox Lux’ is that kind of entity. It is a polarizing social commentary about the dark side of fame. It also examines the violent world our children are faced with in American society. Be prepared to be jarred in your seat. There have been a plethora of movies about tortured artists. Director Brady Corbet’s story focuses on two periods in the life of a pop idol. When she becomes a star and then fast forwards 18 years later, when she prepares for a comeback tour. What’s it like to be famous? How do you separate your private and public life? How do you deal with a traumatic event tied to your fame and it becomes a part of your public identity? ‘Vox Lux’ is an ambitious and fascinating look at our society’s obsession with celebrity and pop culture.
The story is divided into four parts. The first is “Prelude 1999,” Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) is a teenager at her middle-school in Staten Island when a schoolmate enters her classroom and randomly kills her friends. The school massacre is a subtle reminder of Columbine which happened that same year. Celeste tries to stop the shooter by offering to pray with him. He opens fire and wounds her. In “Act I: Genesis,” she recovers and writes a song with her sister, Ellie (Stacy Martin). When she sings the song at a memorial service, the song goes viral and Celeste becomes a teen sensation. All the songs in the film are written by Sia and feel authentic. She gets a seedy talent manager (Jude Law), a publicist (Jennifer Ehle) and a choreographer. She flies off to Sweden to record an album that culminates in a night at a hotel with a rock musician.
The film cuts to 2017 and “Act 2: Regenesis” shows a grown up Celeste played by Natalie Portman. She wears dark makeup, a leather jacket and a scarf around her neck to hide the scars from the school shooting. Her character lashes out at her sister Ellie who actually writes her songs and she struggles to bond with her daughter Albertine (also played by Raffey Cassidy). Portman plays the narcissistic, spoiled pop diva to the hilt. The scene takes place in a hotel hours before she performs on stage in front of 30,000 fans. It’s a mesmerizing performance. She channels the street smart attitude of Madonna with the grandiose theatrics of Lady Gaga. Portman is one of the most gifted actresses of her generation. It’s her ability to use expressive gestures and gazes that make her performance so compelling.
At times, Celeste appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her shows are a comeback tour starting in her hometown. Before she faces a press junket, there is a news story about a mass shooting in Croatia. To make matters worse, she is forced to address this incident since the assailants are wearing masks made famous in her music videos. There is a scene showing Celeste begging her manager for drugs. Law delivers a terrific performance as the handler who protects her but also enables her. When she breaks down in her dressing room, you feel her pain but also see that it is really all about her. Her status as a pop diva allows her to be selfish. When “Finale” flashes on the screen, we are as hungry as her live audience to see her perform. It’s a dazzling spectacle and Portman nails it.
‘Vox Lux’ is a provocative, artsy film. It examines the dark side of fame like no other before it. It deals with shocking subject matter that may not be suitable for everyone’s taste. For those that sit through the tragedy are treated to a revelatory performance by Portman. In a way, it’s a fitting role for the actress who had to deal with fame at an early age. She was only 13-years-old when she starred in her breakthrough role in ‘Leon: The Professional.’ The film never tries to explain the link between violence and pop music. At one point in the film, Celeste says “That’s what I like about pop music; I don’t want people to think too hard.” Maybe the film is trying to say pop music is a way to shield us from the horrors of the modern world. ‘A Star is Born’ will probably garner more statues at the Oscars but ‘Vox Lux’ is definitely a more cynical and realistic depiction of fame.
