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Vox Lux makes you feel really old, because this is the film where Natalie Portman plays a mother, even though she was only about 13 in Leon, released in Frances and the US in 1994, and that was about five minutes ago.
The film follows the rise of Celeste from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop super stardom, and spans 18 years, tracing traces important cultural moments through her eyes, starting in 1999 and concluding in 2017.
In 1999, teenage Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) survives a violent tragedy. After singing at a memorial service, Celeste transforms into a burgeoning pop star with the help of her songwriter sister (Stacy Martin) and a talent manager (Jude Law). Her meteoric rise to fame and concurrent loss of innocence dovetails with a shattering terrorist attack on the nation, elevating the young powerhouse to a new kind of celebrity: American icon, secular deity, global superstar.
By 2017, adult Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mounting a comeback after a scandalous incident which derailed her career. Touring in support of her sixth album, a compendium of sci-fi anthems entitled Vox Lux, the indomitable, foul-mouthed pop saviour must overcome her personal and familial struggles.
An unconventional film, this has also been shot in the (at these times) unconventional aspect ratio of 1.66:1. It also features new music by Sia, which is sung by Ms Portman, including the track I Crumble.
Vox Lux looks superb and is released in the US on December 7th, but as of yet, there’s no UK release date.
Writer/Director: Brady Corbet
Also stars: Christopher Abbott, Willem Dafoe, Jennifer Ehle, Maria Dizzia, Erik King, Matt Servitto, Natasha Romanova, Daniel London, Fred Hechinger, Sahr Ngaujah, Christopher Dylan White
Check out the new trailer below:
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.