Golly has it been a long time! Sorry for the delay folks but nothing has come out. I mean last weekend literally nothing came out...nothing. That's ridiculous! Today I will be reviewing a highly anticipated movie for me that you guys have probably never heard of and will probably never see. Nevertheless I saw it and I have some thoughts so I'm putting them down even if it's just for my eyes. I will be reviewing the new Natalie Portman movie, Vox Lux. LET'S GET STARTED!
PLOT:
This film takes place in sections. The first section is titled Prelude which shows how Celeste (Natalie Portman/Raffey Cassidy) got her start. The film is opened up by a narration (told by Willem Dafoe) that's tells the audience about Celeste's life when she was a kid. She would make up songs and perform them to her family with her sister, Eleanor (Stacey Martin). The two sisters were inseparable and always loved creating music together.
The story then moves to Celeste's (played by Raffey Cassidy at this point in the film) high school years. We open in a music class where kids are coming back from Christmas break. Their teacher asks them all how their breaks were and has a nice interaction with all of them. A student comes in late and introduces himself. The teacher is confused because she's had this kid in her class all year. He then pulls out a gun and shoots her. The kids all run in the corner in fear for their lives but Celeste stays seated in shock. She tries to calm the gunman down and connect with him to see if she can get him to stop shooting. She thinks she has a breakthrough until he shoots again and hits her in the crossfire. Celeste was shot in the neck and now has a bullet lodged in her spine. At the wake for the students Celeste and Eleanor perform an original song they wrote for those they lost. The wake was televised and her song becomes a national sensation. This leads to a manager (Jude Law), a record producer and an EP and she's a hit. An overnight sensation. She is then whisked off to Stockholm to begin recording where her sister shows her the "fun" side of life which includes boys, alcohol, drugs, etc.
The movies then flashes forward to 2017 where Celeste (now played by Natalie Portman) is 31 years old. She's had a pretty rough life being addicted to drugs and even getting into a major car accident. She is trying to re-brand herself after all the bad press while also trying to repair her relationship with her daughter, Albertine (again played by Raffey Cassidy) and her sister. In interviews she talks about her new album and her show that night taking place in her hometown of Staten Island. She says the show is about rebirth for both her image and the audience gathers that in part she hopes this statement is about her personal life as well.
REVIEW:
So I haven't quite decided how I feel about this movie yet. There were parts I really liked and thought were well done but there were also parts that left me confused or feeling empty. I'll start with the performances because that's probably the easiest part for me to talk about. Raffey Cassidy who played both the young Celeste and the older Celeste's daughter, Albertine was one of the best performances of the movie. As young Celeste she was so nuanced and had such vulnerability at the beginning and you could see how fame and her career path was changing her. She slowly becomes this jaded figure going from her sweet, innocent character to her brash, hardened persona. The audience gets to see how this girl begins to change with fame coming her way so quickly. This performance is then juxtaposed with her performance as older Celeste's daughter Albertine. Celeste and Albertine have a strained relationship and their interactions are often awkward or tense. They don't really know how to communicate with each other and you can see how this affects Albertine. She wants to have a relationship with her mother but it's nearly impossible because Celeste is so focused on herself and her image. Although both characters were played by the same actress and it was a bit daunting at first she plays them both so differently you soon forget it's the same person.
Natalie Portman. I don't know how but I forget just how great of an actress Natalie Portman is. I recently had a bit of a Natalie Portman movie binge where I watched Jackie and Annihilation (which will easily make my top 10 movies of the year list) and she just captures the screen. This performance is no different. Although I didn't particularly like her character and didn't agree with her choices I still wanted to know what happened to her. I had a weird sense of protection over her. I didn't want her to make that decision or choice. I wanted her to take a moment and think how this would affect her in the long run and her daughter. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen when she was on because she just has a certain charisma about her. She knows how to hold your attention. She played this character with a hard exterior and no cares in the world but then she would have these scenes where she is so vulnerable and broken. She doesn't know how to live a normal life, this is all she knows. There's one scene where she just breaks down and throws a sort of tantrum and you can really see how she feels in that scene. She doesn't feel like a real person, like her opinions and thoughts matter. She's just an object in her mind, a money-making thing. She almost seemed lost when she wasn't performing. She constantly made bad decisions, put her foot in her mouth, etc. But when she was on stage she seemed at home, happy, like that was were she belonged. Another thing that surprised me about this particular performance was how great of a singer she is. I never thought I would say this but Natalie Portman is my new favorite pop singer. The last 20 minutes or so of the movie is a concert and she is so charismatic on the stage when she's performing it almost felt like it was a real concert and that she was a real pop star.
The director made some interesting creative choices. At the start of the film and throughout there's a narrator who gives us insight into who Celeste is and why she acts the way she does. Also at the start of the film I thought it was interesting how they did the opening credits. The film played but the credits rolled like they would at the end of the film. It was an interesting choice but it was also a bit distracting because I was trying to watch what was happening and the words almost felt like they were in the way. He also utilized slow motion quite a bit which I actually kind of liked. It was often when the narrator was speaking that this technique was used. I liked this because it allowed me to focus on the words and not what was happening on the screen. I often miss some key things when spoken over a scene because I'm so focused on what I'm seeing over what I'm hearing. Another choice that I thought was interesting was how we hardly get any information or background from the main character herself. It's always delivered to us from an outside source such as the narrator or a reporter interviewing Celeste. It's almost as if she doesn't want to give anything away to the audience. One choice I wasn't too pleased with was the end credits. I know that's a weird thing to critique but the movie ends so abruptly and then goes to straight to the credits but there's no music with the credits, no sounds at all. It's just silent while the names go up on the screen. It was very daunting and I didn't know how to handle it, it almost made me uncomfortable. You don't realize how accustomed you are to having some type of music when the credits roll that when they're taken away it's so strange.
I mentioned this a bit but one thing I didn't like about the movie was how abruptly it ended. There wasn't really any resolution, none of my questions were answered. It didn't feel cohesive, it left the film open-ended which I guess is the point because it's up to your own interpretation. I think he ended it this way to make a point about fame. No one really knows the definition of fame and how it affects individuals. Fame to one person is completely different to another. I wanted to know more about Celeste and what happened to her, I feel like I didn't get her full story which is another point I think he was trying to make. We only get a glimpse into the lives of these people, we don't know their full story or background. Although we got some insight into Celeste's life we don't get the full story or all the answers we desire.
PARENT'S GUIDE:
This movie is rated R. There is quite a bit of language and drug use. The main character makes some questionable choices and there can be some dark moments. The film also opens up with a school shooting that is quite daunting and violent. This is definitely not one for the kiddos.
OVERALL RATING:
For this film I will give it a....
Vox Lux: 7/10
The more I write and think about it, the more I enjoyed the movie. I wasn't sure how I felt about it immediately coming out of the theater because it was such a different experience. I think it was a bold movie and made some interesting creative choices. There were some flaws in the story and I would have liked a clearer resolution but this movie does make you think. It stays with you for a bit after and I can always appreciate a movie that does that. I also thought Natalie Portman and Raffey Cassidy did a great job in portraying the same character but each giving her a different voice and perspective.
CONCLUSION:
Like I said before this film is not for everyone. It can be daunting and disturbing at times but it makes for an interesting conversation and thought process. I don't if I'd recommend this movie to just anybody. Like I said I really only think particular people will like it. It's not what you think it's going to be. One thing you can takeaway from this movie and review is that Natalie Portman is now one our finest pop singers. I've been listening to the soundtrack on repeat for a week. You can ask my sister, she's sick of it but it's so catchy!
As always thanks so much for taking the time to read this review even if you may not have any interest in seeing the movie I choose to review that week. Please leave me a comment or review and tell your friends! If you are one of the few that has seen this movie I'd love to hear your thoughts and perspectives. Maybe you can answer some questions I still have about it. Well that's all I have to say so until next time! Oh! Also I'm just gonna a leave a little sample of Natalie Portman singing because it's just so good. If you hate it please don't tell me because I love it and I want to continue to love it... thanks.
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