Vox Lux

A terrorist attack takes place on the island of Brač, with Croatian pop star Tajči’s song in the background. The attackers wear tinsel-spangled masks – the same ones that appear in the video of Natalie Portman’s character’s hit song. Bizarre as it may sound, it is a scene from Vox Lux, a sensation from the last edition of Venice Film Festival and one of last winter’s most talked-about films. Natalie Portman excels in the role of pop star Celeste. In their teenage years, she and her sister survived a small-town high-school shooting. They turned the tragedy into a song that gained global popularity. This launched Celeste to fame, but also to a career full of scandals. Brady Corbet’s film is a strong criticism of pop culture in which emotions and talent are replaced by vanity and ego trips. It also tackles the radical and violent changes in the post-Columbine and post-9/11 American society.