Blast from the Past: Natalie Portman
Intriguingly bold albeit flawed, Vox Lux probes the allures and pitfalls of modern celebrity with sharp intelligence but inconsistent visual style and confused narrative, barely held together by Natalie Portman performance.
Grade: B-
It is written by Brady Corbet and his partner Mona Fastvold, and helmed by Corbet, in his second directing outing .
The film stars Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin and Jennifer Ehle.
Narrative Structure
Prelude
In January 2000, a boy named Cullen Active walks into his school in Staten Island , goes to an eigth grade class and shoots the teacher, Mrs. Dwyer. One brave student, Celeste Montgomery, age 13, calmly talks to Cullen and offers to pray with him. However, he shoots all the students and kills himself; Celeste survives.
Act 1: Genesis
As she recovers from her injuries, Celeste and older sister Eleanor write music together. At an event led by Father Cliff in memory of the shooting victims, Celeste sings “Wrapped Up,” which becomes an instant hit.
Over the next 20 months, Celeste navigates the increasing pressures of her newfound fame in spite of her past trauma. She and Eleanor indulge in bouts of partying that soon get in the way of Celeste’s work; Celeste becomes subject to sexual misconduct by an older musician and Eleanor has sex with Celeste’s manager the night before the September 11 attacks. Nevertheless, Celeste continues to successfully rise in the music industry, with her songs picked up by the radio.
Act 2: Regenesis
In 2017, a terrorist shooting on a Croatia beach is linked to Celeste’s music due to the masks that the criminals donned, which are similar to the masks from Celeste’s 2001 “Hologram” video.
Celeste, now 31, is preparing for the first night of a concert tour for her sixth album,
Celeste argues with Eleanor after discovering Albertine has lost her virginity; Eleanor has been Albertine’s guardian. The press interviews begin, with Celeste becoming increasingly unhinged after one mentions the driving incident. Her publicist decides to cancel the rest of her scheduled and asks Celeste to rest before the concert.
However, Celeste and her manager get high on drugs and have sex. That evening, an impaired Celeste heads for the concert and with experiences mental breakdown.
Finale
Celeste appears ready for the concert with her band and dancers.
It is revealed that after she was shot, Celeste told Eleanor that she made a deal with the devil for her life.
Portman later said that her performance was inspired by her observations of various documentaries about pop stars, such as Madonna and Lady Gaga.
Speaking of his involvement, Willem Dafoe, who narrates the film, stated that “it was a very last-minute thing. I think Brady had another voice in there and he wasn’t quite happy with it, and at the last minute he had the idea to use me to be the narrator — which in terms of actual work isn’t huge time commitment. It’s an important tonal element and framing device in the film, a kind of go-between with the audience.”
Von Lux received mixed reviews from film critics, but was a commercial failure, grossing only $1.4 million on against a production budget of $11 million.
Cast
Natalie Portman as Celeste
Jude Law as the manager
Stacy Martin as Eleanor
Jennifer Ehle as Josie the publicist
Raffey Cassidy as young Celeste / Albertine
Christopher Abbott as the journalist
Logan Riley Bruner as Cullen Active
Maria Dizzia as Ms. Dwyer
Meg Gibson as Celeste’s mother
Daniel London as Father Cliff
illem Dafoe provides the narration.
