An uneven film that was unsure of its purpose, does it want to be a satire about pop and celebrity culture or a family drama of two sisters or a social commentary about America and/or modern society?
Director and co-writer Brady Corbet seemed to want to be experimental but the final product just ended up being unfocused. And was the Wilem Dafoe narration really necessary? Show, not tell...
However, Natalie Portman was magnificent! This was her film.
Portman appeared in like a tornado in the second half and absolutely Black Swan-ed her way from start to end. With her, the film finally gained some momentum and even Corbet’s unnecessary and indulgent long takes were improved by having Portman owning the screen.
Raffey Cassidy - as the young Portman and then her daughter - held her own in the first half, but she lacked the screen charisma of Portman.
Jennifer Ehle, Jude Law and Stacey Martin rounded out the main cast. They supported Cassidy and the film in the beginning but were there really in service of the Cassidy’s character; with Portman, they raised their game and became proper characters and individuals.
This was Portman’s film and truly one of her best performances. That finale, again unnecessary long by Corbet, was so brilliantly owned by Portman! She utterly deserved to have had some recognition for this phenomenal, alternative “A Star is Born” performance. If Lady Gaga could get Oscar noms, Portman and songwriter Sia were definitely snubbed. Unsurprising though, as this was a much harder film to sell and like.
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