Vox Lux (2018)

Vox Lux tells the fictional story of a talented teenage girl, Celeste, who shot to fame after surviving a violent school shooting incident on New Year day in 2000, and singing an original haunting song dedication to the victims in a nationally telecast memorial service. She proceeded to become a superstar with Academy Award winner Natalie Portman playing the adult Celeste. Jude Law plays the agent while singing sensation from Australia Sia wrote original songs for the movie! The plot and star power alone would make us want to watch this film!

Sadly, I have to report that Vox Lux ("voice of light" in Latin) is a complete mess of a movie and I cannot honestly recommend this. The film cannot seem to decide what to focus on, whether it is the horrors and consequences of terrorism, the demands of the music industry, the nature of being hailed a national hero, or sisterly love and conflicts. All of these and more are portrayed throughout the movie but in a rather incoherent manner. Ultimately, the film ends up standing for very much nothing and it doesn't seem to offer any insights to any of the heavy topic hanging over the whole plot.

Natalie Portman actually sang all the songs herself and apparently, the dance choreography was done by her husband. Unfortunately, she is no superstar on stage and her voice fails to give Sia's material any justice. Actually, apart from that haunting tune sung at the beginning for the memorial, the rest of the songs were pretty forgettable. The extended concert sequence at the end which supposedly showcase Celeste performing in her element was cringe worthy with Natalie giving an unconvincing show. Her hideous makeup and stage getup was no help either. Then, the movie ended abruptly soon after, with no proper closure to what transpired in the whole movie!

I guess at the end of the day Vox Lux is probably one of the films that you either love or hate. I gather the film was greeted with scattered boos when it premiered in the Venice Filme Festival last year so I at least, am not alone.