Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are pitch-perfect in this unexpectedly amusing drama (Picture: Francois Duhamel)
Todd Haynes is back with a bang at Cannes Film Festival with his deliciously dark latest release examining a scandalous tabloid romance and starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman.
In May December, Portman plays actress Elizabeth Berry, who is visiting Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Moore) to learn about her ahead of portraying her in a movie about her life and relationship with much younger husband, Joe Yoo (Charles Melton).
Over 20 years earlier, Gracie and Joe had embarked on an affair when he was just 13 years old, sparking uproar and a media feeding frenzy.
Despite registering as a sex offender and spending time in prison, Gracie and Joe remain together and are soon to wave their twins off to college.
However, with Elizabeth’s arrival comes a great deal of scrutiny on their relationship, emphasising cracks and unspoken tensions as the TV star tries to get the inside track on Gracie and her love for Joe.
Although this may sound a bizarre and very heavy, problematic topic, Haynes’ movie is delightfully amusing in its examination of human behaviour.
Portman plays actress Elizabeth, who will play Moore’s Gracie in a film about her relationship with younger husband Joe (Picture: Francois Duhamel)
The three main characters are, unsurprisingly, damaged people, and the nuance with which Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik have crafted the screenplay plays right into the hands of a director like Haynes.
May December doesn’t tell you how to feel one way or another, the same as the central trio and their individual take on events starts vaguely, but Haynes is ready to have fun with the film.
That may sound a little shocking from the outside, but the movie ably plays into the weird campness of scenarios like Gracie inviting Elizabeth into the bathroom while she applies he make-up, with the actress feverishly taking notes.
It’s the same when you catch Elizabeth not-so-subtly trying to ape Gracie’s mannerisms during a shop visit to purchase a dress for high school graduation: an undoubtedly cringey situation, and Haynes revels in it.
One of the other highlights of May December is its ingenious use of music, with composer Marcelo Zarvos adapting Michael Legrand’s core for 1971’s The Go Between to great effect. The bold orchestrations initially seem totally at odds with the human drama, before becoming more and more a part of the story.
It also works brilliantly as a cue to laugh, especially the first time it is used to give the audience permission for a chuckle, as Gracie opens the fridge door and dramatically (as it turns out) announces that they’ve run out of hot dogs for the barbecue.
Another hilariously dark moment happens when Elizabeth is feeding back to a producer having watched self-tapes from potential Joe’s in the movie, and bemoans that none of these pre-teen boys are ‘sexy enough’.
After an exquisitely timed brief pause, the voice on the other end of the phone implores Elizabeth to curtail her research and head home – but it also cleverly raises the question of who is influencing whom most?
The stars with Charles Melton (C), who plays Moore’s character’s husband Joe Yoo (Picture: Getty)
May December is a glorious two-hander for a pair of actresses as gifted as Oscar-winners Portman and Moore, just like Haynes managed before in 2015 with the fraught central relationship in Carol between Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
He also features Carol actor Cory Michael Smith once again, who is very effective as Georgie, one of Gracie’s children from her first marriage who has clearly been stunned and stunted by the trauma.
There’s a lot to unpack in May December, but with such a taboo central topic, excellent performances and Haynes’ flair for both style and the unexpected, you are sure to be reeled in.
May December has been acquired by Sky Cinema in the UK but is yet to receive a release date.
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It’s another triumph from director Todd Haynes.
