Vox Lux (2018)

Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Raffey Cassidy
Runtime: 114 minutes

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

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Costumes/Makeup: 9/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10

Verdict: Directed by Brady Corbet, "Vox Lux" follows pop sensation Celeste's rise to stardom, which was shaped by a traumatic event she had to endure when she was a teenager.

The movie serves as a fascinating character study of the main character, extremely well captured by both Raffey Cassidy and Natalie Portman, who both play the role of Celeste at different times of her life. Jude Law as the manager and Stacy Martin as the pop star's sister, Ellie, also delivered great performances worthy of the film's standards. The songs, written by Sia, as well as the late Scott Walker's score, were both extremely effective in shaping the movie's atmosphere which was beautifully set up by Lol Crawley's cinematography and Keri Langerman's stunning costume design.

My issues with "Vox Lux" rather lie in what the movie doesn't show us. Major events in the life of Celeste are completely omitted from the final cut and delivered through narration by Willem Dafoe, rendering the ambitious character study a bit rushed and disconnected. Another aspect I found odd was the film's needlessly confusing casting. Corbet, for some reason, decided to cast Raffey Cassidy, who plays the younger version of Celeste, as the daughter of the adult version of the protagonist. Stacy Martin also plays both the teenager and adult versions of her sister Ellie, despite her sister being played by two different, age-appropriate actresses.

"Vox Lux" remains nevertheless a well-crafted, well-acted, interesting look at a troubled artist's struggles with guilt and fame. I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of the film's aspects, and will definitely be taking a closer look at Corbet's directorial career. 

FINAL GRADE: 7/10 (Good)