May December, 2023.
Directed by Todd Haynes.
Starring: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, and Charles Melton.
SYNOPSIS:
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
Todd Haynes’ career is one of the most eclectic in modern US cinema with acclaimed films like Carol, Dark Waters, Far From Heaven and Safe. He is regarded as a pioneering figure in the New Queer Cinema movement but has shifted perhaps from his trademark flamboyant style in recent years, which is best evidenced by the likes of Velvet Goldmine. Haynes’ latest is the festival circuit darling May December which is loosely inspired by the life of Mary Kay Letourneau abd re-pairs him with frequent collaborator Julianne Moore (Safe, Far From Heaven, Wonderstruck, I’m Not There) and Natalie Portman.
May December sees Portman’s Elizabeth Berry, a successful actress, researching Moore’s Gracie, a controversial figure who went to prison for having an affair with a minor and then having his child and marrying him in later life (her husband Joe is played by Riverdale’s Charles Melton).
This feels like an encapsulation of themes found across Haynes’s work and is a pitch-perfect melodrama feeding off the strength of its trio of leads all of whom are on delicious form, with some wonderful interplay. As we would expect of Oscar winners Portman and Moore they are a delight, feeding off Hayne’s direction and Samy Burch’s biting screenplay. The evolution and erosion of trust between the pair is a sight to behold and it feels like Haynes perfectly utilises the 1 hr 50 runtime, never does there feel like a wasted moment.
Gracie is a slight shift in the types of roles Moore has played in the past, softly spoken with a slight lisp on the outside but calculating and observant, while Portman is equally reserved. Melton is a wonderful surprise, holding his own against his two mega co-stars and delivering some of the best moments in the film, giving Ben subtle growth throughout as he comes into his own.
In a way this is a far camper version of obsession stories of yesteryear with elements of Patricia Highsmith and other psychological dramas. There are whiffs of Billy Wilder’s classic Sunset Blvd, but played far more to comedic effect which never undermines its more dramatic moments, showing Hayne’s deftness to shift between its lighter and darker moments, befitting its subject matter. It knows when to poke fun at itself and the movie industry more widely through Elizabeth.
Elizabeth clearly stirs the pot somewhat speaking to Gracie’s ex-husband and estranged son but the lines between fact and fiction blur later, with Haynes cleverly using mirrors especially for shots of the two women to perhaps show Elizabeth losing herself in the role and the family she is observing.
May December is a quintessential Todd Haynes after the more restrained but still excellent Dark Waters and his well-received Velvet Underground documentary. This is an often-hilarious melodrama that never quite goes where you expect it to, knowing when to shock and make the audience laugh in equal measure. The dream lead pairing delivers while Charles Melton is a scene-stealing standout and really cements himself as one to watch. It’s safe to say fans of Todd Haynes and his more colourful works will leave very satisfied.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
