Vox Lux

— A complicated tale, also called “A 21st Century Portrait,” with concerns that are decidedly 21st century concerns. It’s a film in three parts, opening in 1999 when Celeste, an innocent 13-year-old student, is shot in a vividly realistic school shooting reminiscent of Columbine. While she’s recovering in the hospital, her sister, Eleanor, helps her write a song about her feelings which she performs for a church service. The song strikes a chord in the mourners’ hearts and an agent quickly shows up. The second part takes place in the 9/11 era, and the two girls find themselves part of the NYC music world where Celeste’s image is created and her music tailored for popular consumption, pushing her toward stardom even if, along the way, a one-night stand with a rocker results in pregnancy. Fast-forward to 2017. Celeste is about to begin a new tour and a beachside attack, vaguely reminding us of the 2015 Sousse attacks, has terrorists wearing masks associated with Celeste's concert costumes. Gone are any traces of innocence and Celeste is a world-renowned pop star, estranged from her daughter who lives with Eleanor, and from Eleanor as well. She seems nearly immune to the world around her, operating more on autopilot than as an active participant except when she’s on stage behind heavy make-up, revved by her adoring fans as they escape into her music. It does become “a 21st century portrait” where pop culture and terrorism and politics have all morphed in double time. There’s something unsettling about the parallel of Celeste’s difficulties as a wealthy pop star who’s adored by millions, with the violence that’s become routine (9/11, school shootings, terrorist shootings) but just as the violence becoming commonplace has put a dent in our common humanity and civility, so fame can become singularly focused, dimming the view of humanity and hardening the soul. The film just misses the mark of pulling off what they were trying, but it’s a noble attempt that’s got me thinking about how we’ve adapted mentally to terror, both as individuals and as a society.

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[2018. 104 min. Written and directed by Brady Corbet. Starring Natalie Portman, Raffey Cassidy, Jude Law, and Stacy Martin.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/vox-lux-2018