Tabloid romances are interesting, and that's what Todd Haynes observes in May December. The Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore-led drama is a gripping case study of blurred lines as an actress tries to research her part and the subject tries to let go of the past.
May December review
It's a tension that carries May December's near-two-hour runtime. Both Portman and Moore give stellar performances. The former is like a sponge — just trying to soak in anything and everything about the latter's past.
For reference, the film is about an actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), who is playing Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) in a film. 20 years prior, Gracie had gotten involved in a romance with Joe (Charles Melton), a 13-year-old boy. Despite a 20-plus-year age gap, the two found a way to make it work. That's not to suggest that it was a popular decision, to say the least. To this day, the Yoo family receives packages of s**t.
Two decades later, a film is being made about the tabloid romance. Elizabeth aspires to give the best and most truthful performance that she can as Gracie. She shows up to their estate to research her subject, interviewing anyone and everyone involved and checking out the locations it all went down.
The Yoo family takes a very gloves-off approach to Elizabeth's presence — allowing her into every facet of their lives (including their kids' graduations). Intrusive? yes. But this is where the both Elizabeth and Gracie's motives become blurred. Is such extensive (and intrusive) research required for the role? And for Gracie, is it possible to control your narrative?
There's a conflict between the two sides that simmers under the surface, which makes for one of the most interesting watches of 2023.
Two complex humans
As Elizabeth suggests, Gracie is a complex character. You may not agree with all of Elizabeth's motives or opinions, but she's onto something. There is something weirdly eerie about Gracie's current-day aura. A blankness that screams Get Out spans her face for much of the runtime. Every smile hides something deeper, whether it's pain, regret, or frankly, both.
And it's incredibly strange. As Portman's character suggests, there's almost a look of apathy across Gracie's face. Does she even feel anything about what she did?
Moore really is a powerhouse. She comes across as so broken. It's mostly the nonverbals that she does so well. If the bright and energetic Portman needed a dance partner to juxtapose it, Haynes found the perfect one in Moore.
As for Portman, who is a powerhouse in her own right, she gives a very different kind of performance. Like a gnat that won't go away or a nephew who's curious about everything, Elizabeth completely impedes on the Yoo household.
Granted, it begins relatively harmless. When Elizabeth first shows up, she observes the Yoo family function from afar — taking notes here and there. Throughout May December's runtime, she slowly begins to get deeper into the family.
But for her, it's done in the name of the game. Whether or not you agree with the ethics does not matter. Method acting is a hot- button issue in Hollywood. Some, like Jared Leto's alleged activity during the Suicide Squad shoot, go too far.
A third player
Lest we forget the third player in May December's game: Joe. What he did as a child was not good, but it's hard to ignore that he was 13 years old when he fell in love with Gracie, who was around 27 years his elder.
The two are “happy” now, with kids of their own, but is it Stockholm syndrome? The only lover that Joe has known is Gracie, which complicates his own worldview. It's a Pandora's box that screenwriter Samy Burch is willing to open in the script.
But that's May December's biggest strength. It is completely unafraid to go to any lengths — every aspect of the story dives into the moral gray areas of its topic. Burch's script pulls no punches, as no one looks good in this film. That's how a film with this type of subject matter should handle itself.
That's also why the butterflies seen in May December are the perfect overarching metaphor. Throughout the film, shots of the butterflies laying eggs and sucking the milkweed plants are shown. Some of them outgrow their habitat and Joe lets them fly away.
Perhaps a bit on the nose, they represent liberation — whether it be children as they go off to college or Joe's discovery of independence — but also the leeches we can be. It's more obvious to point at Elizabeth, who is like a leech as she sucks information and more out of the Yoo family. She also leaves when the time is convenient for her (once her “research” has concluded) and leaves the family in shambles.
Stylistic choices
While the performances and script heap a lot of praise, Haynes' direction shouldn't go unnoticed. For one, he displays a clear understanding of what his script is conveying. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. This comes in the form of the overly dramatic score and “bum, bum, bum” sound effect that leads into Gracie fretting over their lack of hot dogs.
Clearly shot on film, May December has a grainy aesthetic that represents the lines being blurred well. Haynes also utilizes mirrors as a strong metaphor. There's a scene where Gracie puts her makeup on Elizabeth — it's done in a way that nearly signifies the transformation nearing completion and the former handing the baton off to the latter.
There's a lot of Ingmar Bergman's fingerprints all over May December. None more obvious than this mirror scene, which really puts Portman and Moore on display together.
It all ends with a scene that shows who Elizabeth is: A performer. No spoilers, but this obsession with theatrics comes to a head in the most poetic way possible.
Should you watch May December?
Carried by a trio of powerhouse performance, May December is one of 2023's boldest films. Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton all deserve praise for the film, while Todd Haynes makes some great stylistic choices.
It's a bold satire that pulls no punches from its subjects. May December isn't a defense of Gracie or a defense of method acting. Instead, like its main characters, it resides in the gray area in between melodrama's good and bad.
Grade: A-
May December will be released in theaters on November 17 and on Netflix on December 1.
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