Natalie Portman is Celeste, a pop star on the verge of a comeback, in “Vox Lux.” A teaser for the film is out ahead of the film’s North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed and written by Brady Corbet, “Vox Lux” is his followup to his award-winning directorial debut “The Childhood of a Leader.” “Vox Lux” already premiered at the Venice Film Festival, garnering rave reviews.
In the 45-second clip, the roars from a crowd build as, who we can assume is Celeste (Portman), makes her way to the stage two minutes before a performance. Mysterious string music begins playing over the scene as the camera follows Celeste from behind as she heads to what appears to be an important performance.
The film, beginning in 1999, follows a teenage Celeste (Raffey Cassidy), who transforms into a burgeoning pop star after a violent tragedy. Her meteoric rise to fame and concurrent loss of innocence dovetails with a shattering terrorist attack on the nation, elevating the young powerhouse to a new kind of celebrity: American icon, secular deity, global superstar.
But by 2017, adult Celeste is mounting a comeback after a scandalous incident that derailed her career. She’s touring in support of her sixth album, a compendium of sci-fi anthems entitled “Vox Lux.” Portman plays an “indomitable, foul-mouthed pop savior who’s attempting to overcome her personal and familial struggles to navigate motherhood, madness and monolithic fame,” according to the film’s official synopsis.
“Vox Lux” also stars Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle and Stacy Martin. And it features original songs by Sia and an original score by Scott Walker. The film is meant to be an origin story about the forces that shape us, as individuals, nations, and gods.
It was financed and produced by Bold Films and Andrew Lauren Productions. Andrew Lauren and D.J. Gugenheim are producers along with Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa, Bold Films’ Michel Litvak, Gary Michael Walters, David Litvak and Svetlana Metkina and Brian Young from Three Six Zero Entertainment and Robert Salerno. Portman and Law are executive producers along with Sia.