Read Positive User Reviews for Vox Lux

8

Bertaut1May 24, 2019

Irreverent and dynamic; the picture it paints of the increasingly indistinguishable divide between celebrity and notoriety isn't pretty though Written by former actor Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, and directed by Corbet, Vox Lux takes theIrreverent and dynamic; the picture it paints of the increasingly indistinguishable divide between celebrity and notoriety isn't pretty though Written by former actor Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, and directed by Corbet, Vox Lux takes the basic A Star is Born template of a rising pop star, and gives it an angry 21st-century makeover. As a director, Corbet exploded onto the scene in 2015 with the sensational The Childhood of a Leader, with which Vox Lux has much in common - they both examine troubled formative childhood years intertwined with global tragedy; they both use a small group of people to synecdochally engage with larger socio-political issues; they both indict a culture in its death throes. And whilst Vox Lux could be accused of straying into cliché on occasion, and walking a very fine line between portentousness and pretentiousness, this is another superb film from a director who is a unique and exciting cinematic voice.

Divided into four parts ("Prelude - 1999"; "Act I: Genesis - 2000-2001"; "Act II: Regenesis - 2017"; and "Finale - XXI"), Vox Lux begins in 1999 when teenager Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) survives a school shooting. With her sister, Eleanor (Stacy Martin), she composes and performs a song for the victims, which catapults her to stardom, under the watchful eye of a talented, if not entirely scrupulous, manager (Jude Law). With Act I concluding with 9/11, the film then jumps to Croatia in 2017, as a terrorist group open fire on a beach, wearing masks similar to those worn in one of Celeste's first music videos. A neurotic, self-obsessed, and barely functioning alcoholic, the adult Celeste (Natalie Portman) is now mother to a teenage daughter of her own, Albertine (also played by Cassidy), and, struggling to finish an album and put together a tour, the last thing she needs is to be associated with more violence.

Aesthetically, there's all manner of things to be fascinated by. For example; whereas the Prelude and Act I cover two years, followed by a 16-year gap, Act II and the Finale take place over roughly eight hours. Or the existential, adjective-heavy, almost "once upon a time" voiceover narration (provided by Willem Dafoe), which serves as a kind of omniscient chorus. Also aesthetically important are the unashamedly over-produced songs (all written by Sia), and the score by the legendary Scott Walker.

Thematically, the film's most salient concern is a deconstruction of celebrity and fame, specifically the 21st-century post-reality TV incarnation of such (there's a reason the closing credits give the film the subtitle, "A Twenty-First Century Portrait"). In an era whereby one can become famous for virtually anything, the film is painfully of its time, saying as much about celebrities and the machinery of fame as it does about celebrity-obsessed culture.

Much of the biting satire is tied into the plot itself, with Celeste building a career off a massacre; gun violence used to sell records. She is literally the beneficiary of tragedy in a world where mass shootings have become so commonplace they can serve as launch-pads for musical careers. Celeste herself articulates an important element of the connection between pop culture and mass murder when she says, "nihilist radical groups perceived as superstars. If everyone stopped talking about them, they'd disappear", which is very reminiscent of the main theme in Natural Born Killers (1994).

Vox Lux doesn't provide any answers to the question of the crossover between pop culture and terrorism - how one might lead to the other, or how both provide opportunities for fame - but that's because there are no easy answers. It's simply the way things are. And the irony at the heart of the film is that in 1999, a mass shooting shaped Celeste, but in 2017, Celeste shaped a mass shooting. This is the nightmare of the 21st-century celebrity wheel of time.

In terms of problems, any film with such lofty aims as mapping the ideological decline of 21st culture onto the rise of a pop star is setting itself a huge task, and at times Corbet's ambitions exceed his reach. Parts of the adult Celeste portion of the film also stray into melodrama, and the fact that the first act is so good does make the second seem a little prosaic in comparison (although the Finale is mesmerising). And although the totality is satisfying, I couldn't shake the feeling that the first act seemed to be setting up for something upon which the second fails to deliver.

Nevertheless, this is a vicious dissection of contemporary culture and the forces that drive it. Both a victim of her time and its desensitised apotheosis, through her, much as he did through Prescott in Childhood of a Leader, Corbet explores questions relating to the interaction between the private and the public. Where are we as a society? What does our obsession with celebrity say about us? What is the cost of fame? Is there any real difference between fame and notoriety?… Expand

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7

GinaKDec 18, 2018

Natalie Portman gives a wonderful performance in a flawed but interesting film. The story begins with a school shooting and then focuses on one of the victims named Celeste who eventually becomes a rock star (!), played by Natalie Portman,Natalie Portman gives a wonderful performance in a flawed but interesting film. The story begins with a school shooting and then focuses on one of the victims named Celeste who eventually becomes a rock star (!), played by Natalie Portman, the lead singer on an album called Vox Lux. The film is sometimes confusing and sometimes offensively preachy, but through it all Portman manages to hold your interest.… Expand

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10

nokyam1Dec 7, 2018

The songs written by Sia are excellent in themselves and never drift into simple pastiche. Scott Walker once again provides a striking, pounding orchestral score. With Vox Lux, Corbet has delivered a towering film, a unique uncompromisingThe songs written by Sia are excellent in themselves and never drift into simple pastiche. Scott Walker once again provides a striking, pounding orchestral score. With Vox Lux, Corbet has delivered a towering film, a unique uncompromising vision that reveals the darkness on the edge of town that lurks in the depths of the spotlight. It’s funny, thrilling, deadly serious and achieves genuine depth.… Expand

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10

AcleverusernameFeb 11, 2019

This movie is extremely underrated and misunderstood. Many casual viewers likely erroneously assumed this was going to be another surface-level, cookie-cutter piece of fluff like "A Star is Born" that never deviates from Freytag's Pyramid andThis movie is extremely underrated and misunderstood. Many casual viewers likely erroneously assumed this was going to be another surface-level, cookie-cutter piece of fluff like "A Star is Born" that never deviates from Freytag's Pyramid and neither requires nor provokes further thought. That's not what this movie is. In fact, it's not even about the music industry or the main character; those are merely vehicles to guide the wide-ranging commentary on humanity in the 21st century. Once you realize that fact, you can begin to understand the true content of the movie, and it's pretty deep. The cinematography is brilliant, the acting may seem wacky at times but that is deliberate, and the realism is more, well, real than the supposedly "historical" music documentaries released in 2018. Easily the best film of the year, albeit one that probably won't be appreciated now. When movies replace books in English classes, this will become the new "Great Gatsby" or "All the King's Men".… Expand

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8

PanchogulApr 13, 2019

Natalie Portman es quien lleva las riendas de la película, su desempeño es impecable, sin embargo, la trama y los factores de la misma no llegan a ser del todo interesantes, es buena, pero le faltó fuerza.

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8

alejandro970Jan 20, 2019

Portman looks eloquent as a pop singer, but lacks of something for make the whole thing work so good as "Bohemian Rhapsody". The high-speed sequences are some pissing and the narration courtesy of Willem Dafoe is needless. Any similarity withPortman looks eloquent as a pop singer, but lacks of something for make the whole thing work so good as "Bohemian Rhapsody". The high-speed sequences are some pissing and the narration courtesy of Willem Dafoe is needless. Any similarity with real life is not coincidence.… Expand

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9

LajaleaaFeb 10, 2019

"The business model relays on the costumer's unshakable stupidity."
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( 95/100 ) . Vox Lux es la segunda obra de Brady Corbet, un chico que creció actuando en la escena dramática de Hollywood de los 2010's y aparece en películas de culto como"The business model relays on the costumer's unshakable stupidity."
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( 95/100 )
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Vox Lux es la segunda obra de Brady Corbet, un chico que creció actuando en la escena dramática de Hollywood de los 2010's y aparece en películas de culto como Mysterious Skin (2004), Funny Games (2007), Melancholia (2011), entre otros. Cuando lo vi en Mysterious Skin lo consideré como una personalidad interesante de seguir. Sin embargo, después de algo de tiempo le gané indiferencia. A pesar de eso se ha aparecido intermitentemente en varías películas que buscan construir el cine de cultura en Estados Unidos y después de ver Vox Luz siento que, para él, estar al perímetro de esas experiencias le ha permitido formar una opinión amplia y crítica del espectáculo americano.
Vox Lux, protagonizada por Natalie Portman y Raffey Cassidy, relata la historia de supervivencia de una chica en una jungla capitalista y consumista. Después de un evento nacionalmente trágico, la jungla social catapulta incidentalmente la carrera de esa chica quien crece para entender y defender la complejidad de su propia postura de privilegios y ventajas. Esa postura fácilmente la coloca como una ignorante en un mundo que tiene tantos puntos de fuga, sin embargo ella luchará por su propio centro.
La magia máxima en la película es la facilidad con la que introduce los discursos. Narrada por Williem Dafoe y orada por Portman, Corbet presenta el guión más accesible y, aún así, complejo del año. Cada linea y cada escena está cargada con discursos emocionalmente pesados, filosóficamente complejos y brutalmente razonables. Ellos presentan la lógica detrás del valor (para mi, un antivalor) de la competencia. La competencia social, espiritual, económica, cultural y familiar. Todo nace de la observación que Corbet ha tenido de su propia cultura, una cultura con una total influencia política y que se alimenta del ámbito espectacular. Corbet toma esa política y la cultura del entretenimiento y descubre una reacción social increíblemente indignate ante los ojos de millones, pero justa ante los ojos de pocos miles. La palabra clave es Pop. La cultura pop nació en Estados a través de la música popular. Fue la gente de color, el jazz y la fusión de varios géneros que creció la apreciación por el arte de consumo masivo a nivel nacional. Posteriormente eso se convirtió en una cultura masiva la cual, bajo los permisos, errores y presencia de la política, se convertiría en un estilo de vida. Un estilo de vida que se define en cantidades materiales y cualidades superficiales.
La crítica, entonces, se hace hacia la política, quien abre puertas para permitir escenarios horridos, macabros, sin valor espiritual y de alta demanda de consumo. El consumo, entonces, nos lleva a la plataforma del entretenimiento, quien alimenta inmesurablemente esa necesidad de mantener las torres de fama y los puentes sociales que llevan a los centros de atención, todo decorado por una joyería de egoísmo, vanidad e ignorancia emocional: "El éxito".
El ingenio detrás del proyecto no solo es excelente: enamora; y Portman, Cassidy, Dafoe y Jude Law brillan en la forma en la que presentan cada capa narrativa, pues actúan con excelencia. Por parte de la visualización, no solo hay una simbología importante en varias escenas, sino que Corbet crea una sátira visual que se siente deficiente y exagerada (especialmente en el acto final) que busca revelar una piel no tan "especial" del entretenimiento. Como proponiendo la duda de "¿Realmente ésto es la gran cosa?". Y la música que Sia produce y escribe para la película lo corrobora. Ya hablaré de ello en mi reseña del soundtrack, pero a grandes rasgos, la música, que también es una ironía, expone el lado más plástico e inútil del espectáculo y qué, aún así, es mundialmente aclamado.
Con la intención de concluir este escrito, solo mencionaré que la película termina con una sonrisa. A pesar de que se expone que nuestro mundo está inundado de ignorancia social, también hay orgullo, preocupación y amor inevitable que alimenta esa ironía existencial. Y también, a pesar de que todo esté perdido, realmente no lo está, porque son pocos los que pueden vivir al perímetro de esa perdición, son pocos los que la observan y están dispuestos a exponerla y desnudarla. Corbet es uno de ellos, emancipado de la expectación y promovedor del pensamiento crítico. Inspira.… Expand

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10

ocaliensMar 10, 2019

Simply the best. Stunning. Mesmerizing. I haven't been this blown away by a film in a long time. This is mark of true filmmaking. Not afraid to take risks and we are all rewarded for it. Bravo

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8

JordanLaytonApr 30, 2020

Torn about the messaging this movie is trying to get across. The dangers of child stardom and the **** and marketability of trauma are there, but it was done in a way that felt a bit more honest than the usual "A Star Is Bord' formula.

InTorn about the messaging this movie is trying to get across. The dangers of child stardom and the **** and marketability of trauma are there, but it was done in a way that felt a bit more honest than the usual "A Star Is Bord' formula.

In being more honest, the message is muddled some, but maybe this film is attempting to critique that trope BY being a bit more honest to those people that do rocket stardom at a young age, showing them as clearly flawed people, but still people whose morality isn't quite as black and white as most of these types of films make their stories out to be. Context was provided throughout the story for characters' actions and moods by Willem Dafoe's narration, which I felt really enhanced the honest approach the film was going for. Natalie Portman gives a phenomenal performance as per usual. My main critique is the choice to use the same actress to play both the main character and that main character's daughter in the second chapter of the film. It was just a bit jarring. Even though there's an argument to be made that it was done to show an inheritance of all of the troubles of the main character, I don't feel there were enough beats for that particular facet of the story to warrant such a jarring choice. Liked this one a lot. Btw, note to not watch R-rated films on planes. They edited out so much language that some scenes were actually difficult to follow.… Expand

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