Review of Vox Lux (2018) by Lincoln K — 29 Dec 2018

This is an interesting film that is hard to review. It has a lot to like about it but the central character is so obnoxious that I often hated the film at the same time. It begins with a graphic depiction of a school shooting and late features a terrorist attack on a foreign beach.

. also in rather graphic detail. The film is about a woman (played as a teenager by Raffey Cassidy and as an adult by Natalie Portman). She survives the school shooting at the start of the film, though she has a bullet lodges in her spine for the rest of her life.

She becomes a teen sensation after singing at the memorial and quickly is jetting off to europe to become a pop star... later after a 17 year time jump she is a big time music star who is a raving jerk to everyone around her, including her long suffering sister, and spends most of her time on drinking or druging binges while fighting with paparazzi and reporters.

While much of this rings true and the production work and talent is pretty good (Jude Law plays her manager) the film doesnt quite connect because the character is so revolting.. especially as an adult.

I expected the film to end with some redemption moment or at least something that ties in all the violent images but the last 10 minutes are of her putting on her concert.. sort of a bad cross between Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.

. if their voices were run through a terrible voice box to give a lot of reverb. Whatever... a missed opportunity here I think.