May December (2023) Movie Review
Todd Haynes’ May December gives us one hour and fifty-seven minutes of squirming in our seats uncomfortably. The subject matter is dicey and loosely based on a news story featuring Mary Kay Letourneau in the 90’s, which makes watching the story unfold that much more difficult.
Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) is an actor, set to star in a biopic about Gracie (Julianne Moore). She has been granted permission to meet Gracie and is welcomed into her home as an observer under the guise of being able to tell the most truthful story possible. Gracie is used to being under a microscope ever since she was arrested for having sex with a thirteen-year-old boy, having his baby in jail, and then marrying him upon her release. Remember we said you’d be uncomfortable during this one.
Gracie and her now adult husband Joe (Charles Melton) are trying to have a “normal” life together, despite being scrutinized for their origins. Joe has a hobby of caring for caterpillars and Gracie owns a baking company. Elizabeth watches them interact with neighbors, their kids, and each other. She takes notes and asks prying questions about their life together.
Most of the movie is a push-pull between the two women, with powerhouse performances from Moore and Portman. Moore’s Gracie is incredibly off-putting, oscillating between seeming to have everything together and having breakdowns over virtually nothing. She stays mysterious throughout, and even when you think you have a handle on Gracie, something pops up to throw you off track. This is Portman’s best performance since Black Swan (2010). Elizabeth has her own secrets and is more similar to Gracie than she might like to believe. The two actors fully embrace playing multi-faceted characters who aren’t exactly good people. And their commitment pays off. The topic of the entire movie is hard to digest and will be controversial for mostly everyone. But the screenplay by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik deftly captures the complexities at play for each character, leading to rich characters for the two legends to explore.
This intensive character study is the perfect palate for Haynes to work his artistic magic. He plays with dramatic music, utilizing it at first to set an ominous tone and then to make a well executed joke that keeps the audience off balance right off the bat. He carefully builds the tension scene after scene, peeling back the layers on the main characters until the end where he delivers a devastating blow of uncertainty over everything the audience just watched.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like movies about unlikeable protagonists
2. You’re a fan of Todd Haynes style
3. You like to be uncomfortable
