By The Collectress

Films that profile the rise (and fall) of fame seem to be en vogue this year–A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, to name a few–but Vox Lux, like its leading actress, Natalie Portman, seems to eschew the contrived formulas that we consumers of pop culture have deemed necessary to achieve success. There is no rags-to-riches here, no wide-eyed ingenue with a heart of gold that wows the disbelieving music exec at an open mic night. No, instead what you have is decent singer with a tragic backstory who has a hell of a talent for branding herself. In today’s world where brand is everything, Vox Lux’s Celeste is two people: the unstable woman who is haunted and afraid of her past, and the singer who is marketed survivor and appeals to the branded outcasts.  Translated, “vox lux” means “voice of light”, and Portman’s Celeste is anything but that to herself.