THE FILM
TITLE: May December
RELEASE DATE: 20 May 2023
WATCH DATE: 01 Feb 2024
TYPE: live-action feature film
ACCESS: streaming on Netflix
WARNING: GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT
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THE PEOPLE
DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
PRODUCER: Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon, Will Ferrell
WRITER: Alex Mechanik, Samy Burch
ACTORS: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton
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THE STORY
RUNTIME: 1h 57m
STORYLINE: a woman is forced to revisit her past - involving a romantic relationship with a then-student who is now her husband - when an actress shadows and investigates her life to portray her in an upcoming film
GENRE/THEMES: drama, scandal, based on a true story, conflicting relationships
Based on the 1977 scandal between Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau
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THE CRITIQUE
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Let’s start with a definition of the title.
May-December: “The phrase merely describes a relationship with an age gap that is as noticeable as the gap between the months of December and May” (Haynes, Letterboxd). Gracie (Julianna Moore) welcomes an actress (Natalie Portman) into her life who is portraying Gracie in an upcoming film about her life. Except her life is in no way normal. She was the teacher who was caught in the act of an affair with a male student - a 13-year-old student. She was arrested, put in jail, gave birth to the baby in jail, divorced her husband, left her family, and married the student when he was old enough, starting a new family with him. From the outside, she’s settled and happy… but as Elizabeth, the actress, pries deeper into her life, Gracie couldn’t be more broken and messed up.
Portman’s performance is… eerie, yet captivating… She has scenes where she is portraying Gracie, for the movie. Her impressive acting brings multiple layers of acting and character development to the film. Moore is equally captivating as she embodies Gracie - the tone of voice, the facial expressions, the slight lisp. Her portrayal makes you believe that she believes that her life choices were the right ones… which is disturbing. Charles Melton plays Gracie’s husband, the student she had sex with years before the events of the film. His acting is… heartbreaking. Like an onion, we see the layers of his entire adult life peel back, the choices that made him who he is, and the hidden conflict that is raging inside.
It is entertaining to see such incredible acting talent on screen… and disappointing and frustrating when it is given to such a sad and broken story with no redemption. The film’s Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay is… misplaced. It’s nothing special. And I don’t believe anyone really wants, and definitely does not need to relive such a scandal from nearly fifty years ago. I’ll leave it half a star for good acting, but it was a pointless film.
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THE RECEPTION
NOMINATIONS
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THE IMPRESSION
IN A SINGLE WORD: pointless
MOST STRIKING ELEMENT: acting
REWATCH: definitely not
RATING: 0.5 // 5 stars ⭐
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