12 Great Recent Movie Performances Destined To Be Forgotten

In recent years, Natalie Portman has seemingly gone pretty quiet project-wise. However, if you take the time and check out the projects she's in, her performances continually reinforce just how talented she is. Regardless of the project's overall quality or noteworthiness, it's Portman who remains the star, and this is certainly the case with her role in Vox Lux.

Portraying the adult version of a child music star (Celeste), Portman's arrival in the film is surprisingly late into the runtime. Yet, the second she shows up on the screen, your eyes are glued. She's this larger-than-life personality that'll have you picturing a mixture of early-career Lady Gaga and a Jersey Shore character. Since much of the movie revolves around establishing Portman's character's trauma and struggles with stardom, there's a lot for her to play with during her screentime. Considering how unlikable and obnoxious the character COULD'VE been, Portman illustrates her tremendous abilities by instead making Celeste a broken-down, damaged singer who may seem like a surreal personality, but never ceases to be human.

Vox Lux likely never caught on with many viewers because it's an experimental take on the dramatic biopic genre and the shockingly delayed appearance of the film's star. Whatever your opinion of the film, it certainly wouldn't have hurt to have more Portman screentime.