Vox Lux (2018)

An unusual set of circumstances brings unexpected success to a pop star.

Director:

Brady Corbet

Writers:

Brady Corbet (story by), Mona Fastvold (story by)

Stars:

Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Stacy Martin

2 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natalie Portman	...	Celeste
Jude Law	...	The Manager
Stacy Martin	...	Eleanor
Jennifer Ehle	...	Josie the Publicist
Raffey Cassidy	...	Young Celeste / Albertine
Christopher Abbott	...	The Journalist
Logan Riley Bruner	...	Cullen Active
Maria Dizzia	...	Ms. Dwyer
Meg Gibson	...	Celeste's Mother
Daniel London	...	Father Cliff
Sahr Ngaujah
Micheál Richardson	...	The Musician
Matt Servitto	...	Celeste's Father
Leslie Silva	...	The Stylist
Allison Winn	...	Therese

Storyline

Vox Lux follows the rise of Celeste from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop super stardom. The film spans 18 years and 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). Celeste's 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 that derailed her career. Touring in support of her sixth album, a compendium of sci-fi anthems entitled Vox Lux, the indomitable, foul-mouthed pop savior must overcome her personal and familial struggles to ...

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Plot Keywords:

pop star | year 1999 | year 2017 | pop star as protagonist | terrorist attack | 

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Taglines:

A Twenty-First Century Portrait

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some strong violence, and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third and final musical score by Scott Walker before his death in March 2019.

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Quotes

Celeste: I am sick and tired of everybody treating me LIKE I'M NOT A PERSON!

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Crazy Credits

There are all cast and crew credits rolling up 10 min in the movie.

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Connections

References Brainstorm (1983)

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Soundtracks

Skater's Waltz
Written by Emil Waldteufel (as Émile Waldteufel)
Courtesy of APM

User Reviews

Vox Lux (2018)

Didn't know a whole lot about this film, so this was basically a film that benefited from the AMC stub list membership. Decided to go in completely blind; no trailers, no reviews, just that poster of Natalie Portman in blue glitter. From that, i was expecting some type of sci-fi futuristic musical. That's not what the film is, as you will find out within the resounding first five minutes or so. I found this film to be a bizarre mess that doesn't exactly know what its doing.

The film is about a teenager who is a victim of a school shooting. From that event he and her sister gain popularity from a musical performance at a memorial service which eventually molds into a music career. Soon, Celeste (the adult lead played by Natalie Portman and Raffey Cassidy in her youth) falls into the pitfalls of super stardom which includes promiscuous behavior, drugs, and mass interaction with an unrelenting media. The film also stars Stacy Martin (who I loved in Nymphomaniac), and narrated by Willem Defoe.

The film starts off with a bang and the first twenty minutes or so are rather incredible in its build because of its mix of shock and intense drama. However, when Celeste starts her rise as a pop star the film starts losing its soul much like Celeste in her career. Oddly, enough as soon as Celeste the star grows up and Natalie Portman enters the fray, the film starts losing its plot and derides itself into a messy piece that doesn't connect with its viewers. The acting is great all around, especially from Portman but she is let down by a script that doesn't know what its trying to be or what its trying to prove.

I left the theater kind of bewildered by the end product. I may have preferred a futuristic musical space opera then what we got. I think there will be a crowd out there that will go to bat for this work but it doesn't resonate with me unfortunately. The positive that comes from this film is that now I can use the term Vox Lux as a word the way I want. i have truly been luxed by this experience.

6/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Croatian Chinese

Release Date:

20 December 2018 (Kuwait)

Also Known As:

Vox Lux

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$155,714, 9 December 2018

Gross USA:

$727,119

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,399,272

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bold Films, Killer Films, Andrew Lauren Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1