TIFF18 Review “Vox Lux”

If you’ve ever dreamed about one day seeing Natalie Portman play a pop music diva, well lucky you, your wish has come true.

A late addition to the TIFF line up, Vox Lux comes from actor/director Brady Corbet and is split into two different parts and dubbed a “21st Century Portrait.”  A film that is constantly toeing the line between being satire and social commentary, Corbet’s film shows how someone handles a tragedy when they are pushed into the spotlight.

The film starts with a young girl named Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) returning to school from winter break to her music class. Suddenly a fellow student bursts through the door shoots her teacher and threatens the students.

Celeste tries to talk him down but fails and is injured by a bullet. She survives and during her recovery process writes a song with her sister Elanor (Stacy Martin) which she performs at a memorial service for the victims. Suddenly Celeste has become America’s Sweetheart, her lyrics and melodies capturing the nation’s attention and sympathy. In walks a nameless manager (sleazily played by Jude Law) ready to make Celeste a star and before you know it Celeste is off recording pop songs with the top producers.

The film then shifts to the second part which introduces Natalie Portman playing Celeste. Time has passed and she’s now an adult and in the process of staging a “comeback” tour. This is where the film takes a very zany approach, as Portman gives a wild performance as the older Celeste. She drinks, she swears, she pops drugs and dances with Law, all this while trying to get to her venue on time to perform.

Vox Lux would work way better as two separate films. Both present interesting ideas but do not mesh well together. The first part brings about an interesting concept about how one copes with a tragedy (I much preferred this part) while the second half focuses on the tolls fame has on oneself.

I felt the second part featuring Portman is a story that’s been done before so many times and better (ie. this year’s A Star is Born). However the second half is saved by Portman’s performance which could help put her in awards contention.