"May December" is a romantic drama film directed by Todd Haynes ("Far From Heaven", "I'm Not There", "Carol"). Starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, it proves to be an uncomfortable yet rather fascinating watch for any curious viewers.
In 2015 in Savannah, Georgia, actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research on local resident Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), whom she will be playing in an upcoming feature film. More than twenty years earlier, the then-36-year-old Gracie was caught having sex with then-13-year-old Joe Yoo (Charles Melton), causing a media sensation and subsequently landing her in prison. In the present day, Gracie has since been released from prison and is now happily married to Joe with three children. Over the course of her stay, Elizabeth interviews Gracie and Joe about their personal lives and whether or not their relationship is genuine, assuring the pair that she will portray a true account of their story. Eventually, Elizabeth decides to do further research by interviewing the other family members of Gracie and Joe, learning that there is more to this story than what the public has been told.
Throughout recent decades, there have been a number of statutory rape cases that have made the news where an older woman has had sexual relations with an underaged male colleague. One of the more notable instances of this was the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a 34-year-old school teacher who served a lengthy prison sentence for having a sexual relationship with her 12-year-old male student. You would think that a contentious matter like this would be difficult to make into a film due to the taboo nature of this topic but there have been a number of successful features that have covered this issue in a mature way, like 2006's "Notes on a Scandal" for example. The 2023 film "May December" is loosely based around the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, and while it may be hard for some to sit through, it still provides an interesting, third party look into the aftermath of such a distressing subject.
What I believe makes this film work where others would fail is in the outward looking in approach to its storytelling. This means that rather than by seeing things occur from the perspective of the perpetrator, we are actually witnessing an unrelated third party character learning about the events that transpired from her viewpoint instead. When the film introduces us to Elizabeth, we see that she is method actor who takes her job very seriously, going to great lengths to understand the characters she portrays. She has no prior personal connection to Gracie and her knowledge of what happened is limited to what she learned from various news sources, meaning she only knows the superficial side to this story. As Elizabeth digs deeper into the lives of this controversial couple, she discovers that there is more to what happened than simply a forbidden relationship. Elizabeth soon notices many other factors that led to this scandalous affair taking place, and at the same time she is learning, we the audience are learning along with her.
As the film progresses, we watch Elizabeth interview and strike up casual conversations with other people involved in this case. There is one scene in particular that stood out to me where Elizabeth talks with Gracie's first husband Tom (D. W. Moffett) in a cafe, as he is opening up for the first time in years about their failed marriage. Tom states that while he initially thought their relationship was stable, he was just as shocked as everyone else to discover that his wife was having an affair with someone more than half her age. To make matters worse, Tom first learned about this from the resulting media frenzy instead of through Gracie's confession.
What I found so interesting about this scene is the array of emotions that Tom displays here. It is clear that he is suppressing his sadness while fighting back tears mentioning how great things once were between him and the woman he once loved. Additionally, his mature acceptance of everything that occurred is shown when he puts on a brave face to wish the couple all the happiness in the world. Watching Elizabeth absorb information like this to understand things from the perspective of the scandal's victims are among the film's highlights because it is clear she is taking this all into account when depicting Gracie in her film.
The film also benefits from some of the efficient creative decisions made by director Todd Haynes. It is obvious that Haynes has made great use of the modest production values to give the film an independent, yet unsettling tone distinguishable from the other big budget Hollywood features. Even though most of the film is either Elizabeth interviewing people or Gracie and Joe examining the current state of their marriage, Haynes shoots these scenes in such a down-to-earth manner that it almost comes across as documentary-like. What could have been scenes of basic exposition become insightful conversations about why a character has a particular opinion on this scandalous affair. All of this is enhanced by Marcelo Zarvos's piano-heavy musical score, which strengthens the emotional impact of the information being conveyed in every scene. It goes to show that solid direction, an interesting script, and a memorable score are three key elements to creating a successful movie.
The performances of the cast are all first rate as well. Natalie Portman yet again demonstrates her range as an actress in the way she plays Elizabeth. Throughout the course of the film, we watch as Portman delves into Elizabeth's determination to learn about everyone and everything that resulted from Gracie and Joe's affair, from the people involved to even the exact location where it all took place. She leaves no stone unturned in her desire to learn about the character she is about to play in a movie, even at the cost of her mental and physical health. On that note, a point of interest regarding Elizabeth's health is that she is shown to be asthmatic, indicated by her carrying an inhaler and a nebuliser wherever she goes. This actually serves a purpose to the story because it is used to set up for crucial scene later on in the film.
Likewise, Julianne Moore has plenty of great material to work with in the role of Gracie. Moore has always been an actress with the uncanny ability to delve into her character's state of mind, and someone like Gracie fits her like a glove. I really enjoyed watching the way Moore shows Gracie's widely conflicted side, often demonstrating vast mood swings that prove she at least has some subconscious remorse for her actions, despite stating otherwise. Though the scandal that rocked her and her family to core was decades ago, it's pretty clear that Gracie still has a lot to answer for how she handled things.
I also think Charles Melton deserves a special mention for his role as Joe, whose character is arguably the most important in the whole story. There are numerous instances throughout the film where we see Joe displaying some regret for throwing away his childhood for a woman old enough to be his mother, especially considering he was at an age where he cannot legally give consent to make life-altering decisions like that. Although he is now in his 30s, it's obvious Joe has had the mentality of his teenage self stunted during his development, which clouds his judgement and puts a strain on his marriage to Gracie. Melton manages to hold his own alongside Portman and Moore, which isn't an easy task given how much these two shine in their respective roles.
For a film with subject matter designed to make the audience feel uncomfortable, "May December" nonetheless remains a compelling viewing experience. It would have been easy to overly sensationalise a story like this, especially considering it is loosely based on true events, but its relatively straightforward approach prevents things from spiralling out of control too much. If anything, the film actually condemns the very sensationalistic approach it could have taken, given the unfavourable view of the media it depicts at certain times. There wouldn't many other movies like this that are able to delve so deep into the mindsets of all these characters without overdoing it, so for that reason I would call it a success.
I rate it 8.5/10.
In 2015 in Savannah, Georgia, actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research on local resident Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), whom she will be playing in an upcoming feature film. More than twenty years earlier, the then-36-year-old Gracie was caught having sex with then-13-year-old Joe Yoo (Charles Melton), causing a media sensation and subsequently landing her in prison. In the present day, Gracie has since been released from prison and is now happily married to Joe with three children. Over the course of her stay, Elizabeth interviews Gracie and Joe about their personal lives and whether or not their relationship is genuine, assuring the pair that she will portray a true account of their story. Eventually, Elizabeth decides to do further research by interviewing the other family members of Gracie and Joe, learning that there is more to this story than what the public has been told.
Throughout recent decades, there have been a number of statutory rape cases that have made the news where an older woman has had sexual relations with an underaged male colleague. One of the more notable instances of this was the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a 34-year-old school teacher who served a lengthy prison sentence for having a sexual relationship with her 12-year-old male student. You would think that a contentious matter like this would be difficult to make into a film due to the taboo nature of this topic but there have been a number of successful features that have covered this issue in a mature way, like 2006's "Notes on a Scandal" for example. The 2023 film "May December" is loosely based around the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, and while it may be hard for some to sit through, it still provides an interesting, third party look into the aftermath of such a distressing subject.
What I believe makes this film work where others would fail is in the outward looking in approach to its storytelling. This means that rather than by seeing things occur from the perspective of the perpetrator, we are actually witnessing an unrelated third party character learning about the events that transpired from her viewpoint instead. When the film introduces us to Elizabeth, we see that she is method actor who takes her job very seriously, going to great lengths to understand the characters she portrays. She has no prior personal connection to Gracie and her knowledge of what happened is limited to what she learned from various news sources, meaning she only knows the superficial side to this story. As Elizabeth digs deeper into the lives of this controversial couple, she discovers that there is more to what happened than simply a forbidden relationship. Elizabeth soon notices many other factors that led to this scandalous affair taking place, and at the same time she is learning, we the audience are learning along with her.
As the film progresses, we watch Elizabeth interview and strike up casual conversations with other people involved in this case. There is one scene in particular that stood out to me where Elizabeth talks with Gracie's first husband Tom (D. W. Moffett) in a cafe, as he is opening up for the first time in years about their failed marriage. Tom states that while he initially thought their relationship was stable, he was just as shocked as everyone else to discover that his wife was having an affair with someone more than half her age. To make matters worse, Tom first learned about this from the resulting media frenzy instead of through Gracie's confession.
What I found so interesting about this scene is the array of emotions that Tom displays here. It is clear that he is suppressing his sadness while fighting back tears mentioning how great things once were between him and the woman he once loved. Additionally, his mature acceptance of everything that occurred is shown when he puts on a brave face to wish the couple all the happiness in the world. Watching Elizabeth absorb information like this to understand things from the perspective of the scandal's victims are among the film's highlights because it is clear she is taking this all into account when depicting Gracie in her film.
The film also benefits from some of the efficient creative decisions made by director Todd Haynes. It is obvious that Haynes has made great use of the modest production values to give the film an independent, yet unsettling tone distinguishable from the other big budget Hollywood features. Even though most of the film is either Elizabeth interviewing people or Gracie and Joe examining the current state of their marriage, Haynes shoots these scenes in such a down-to-earth manner that it almost comes across as documentary-like. What could have been scenes of basic exposition become insightful conversations about why a character has a particular opinion on this scandalous affair. All of this is enhanced by Marcelo Zarvos's piano-heavy musical score, which strengthens the emotional impact of the information being conveyed in every scene. It goes to show that solid direction, an interesting script, and a memorable score are three key elements to creating a successful movie.
The performances of the cast are all first rate as well. Natalie Portman yet again demonstrates her range as an actress in the way she plays Elizabeth. Throughout the course of the film, we watch as Portman delves into Elizabeth's determination to learn about everyone and everything that resulted from Gracie and Joe's affair, from the people involved to even the exact location where it all took place. She leaves no stone unturned in her desire to learn about the character she is about to play in a movie, even at the cost of her mental and physical health. On that note, a point of interest regarding Elizabeth's health is that she is shown to be asthmatic, indicated by her carrying an inhaler and a nebuliser wherever she goes. This actually serves a purpose to the story because it is used to set up for crucial scene later on in the film.
Likewise, Julianne Moore has plenty of great material to work with in the role of Gracie. Moore has always been an actress with the uncanny ability to delve into her character's state of mind, and someone like Gracie fits her like a glove. I really enjoyed watching the way Moore shows Gracie's widely conflicted side, often demonstrating vast mood swings that prove she at least has some subconscious remorse for her actions, despite stating otherwise. Though the scandal that rocked her and her family to core was decades ago, it's pretty clear that Gracie still has a lot to answer for how she handled things.
I also think Charles Melton deserves a special mention for his role as Joe, whose character is arguably the most important in the whole story. There are numerous instances throughout the film where we see Joe displaying some regret for throwing away his childhood for a woman old enough to be his mother, especially considering he was at an age where he cannot legally give consent to make life-altering decisions like that. Although he is now in his 30s, it's obvious Joe has had the mentality of his teenage self stunted during his development, which clouds his judgement and puts a strain on his marriage to Gracie. Melton manages to hold his own alongside Portman and Moore, which isn't an easy task given how much these two shine in their respective roles.
For a film with subject matter designed to make the audience feel uncomfortable, "May December" nonetheless remains a compelling viewing experience. It would have been easy to overly sensationalise a story like this, especially considering it is loosely based on true events, but its relatively straightforward approach prevents things from spiralling out of control too much. If anything, the film actually condemns the very sensationalistic approach it could have taken, given the unfavourable view of the media it depicts at certain times. There wouldn't many other movies like this that are able to delve so deep into the mindsets of all these characters without overdoing it, so for that reason I would call it a success.
I rate it 8.5/10.