Neon has released the Vox Lux trailer. Brady Corbet’s new movie is an incredibly ambitious attempt to break down the 21st century by dividing its wild story in two. The first half follows young Celeste (Raffey Cassidy), a school shooting victim who, with the help of her sister Eleanor (Stacy Martin) and her manager (Jude Law), becomes a worldwide pop sensation. The second half of the story follows an adult Celeste (Natalie Portman) dealing with the weight of pop superstardom while also trying to be a good mother to her daughter, Albertine (also Cassidy).

I caught the film at TIFF and found it to be staggering in what Corbet was attempting to take on if not wholly successful. It’s kind of an insane premise for a movie, and one that doesn’t completely work, but I’d much rather see a movie that takes big swings and doesn’t always connect than one that plays it safe and becomes instantly forgettable. Vox Lux may not be one of my favorite movies of the year, but it’s also one I won’t forget anytime soon.

The trailer leans heavily on the second half of the movie, which makes sense since that's the half that features Portman, and she's the draw. It also doesn't really tell you much about the plot other than a pop star having a bit of a breakdown, which is part of the story, but not really what Corbet is going for with the overall film. That being said, trying to encompass the totality of Vox Lux into a trailer would be a tall order, so I can understand why they've kept the focus on Portman and the pop element.

Check out the Vox Lux trailer below. The film opens on December 7th and also stars Jennifer Ehle and Willem Dafoe.

Here’s the synopsis for Vox Lux:

VOX LUX begins in 1999 when teenage sisters Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and Eleanor (Stacy Martin) survive a seismic, violent tragedy. The sisters compose and perform a song about their experience, making something lovely and cathartic out of catastrophe — while also catapulting Celeste to stardom. By 2017, the now 31-year-old Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mother to a teenage daughter of her own and struggling to navigate a career fraught with scandals when another act of terrifying violence demands her attention.