Charles Melton and Julianne Moore star as the couple at the centre of Natalie Portman’s new film in Todd Haynes latest directorial effort ‘May December’. The film is loosely inspired by the true story of teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, and how she groomed a 12 year old student into beginning a relationship that developed into a 20-year marriage, resulting in two children.
23 years after their illegal relationship was exposed, Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) reside in Savannah, Georgia and are on the cusp of becoming empty nesters. When news of their relationship first broke, Gracie and Joe found themselves embroiled in a high-profile scandal and criminal case, but like their real-life counterparts, not even time in prison could keep them apart. Their settled life is soon thrown into peril when actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for her new film in which she is playing Gracie. Elizabeth’s presence begins to create problems as Gracie’s true nature comes to light and their once secure marriage comes under threat.
‘May December’ showcases stellar performances from its three leads. Natalie Portman delivers a chilling turn as Elizabeth Berry, her intense interest in getting to know the ins and outs of the couple’s lives borders on obsessive and unsettling, but makes for a stunning performance. Portman is responsible for creating one of the film’s most unnerving moments. A scene in which she delivers a monologue reading one of Gracie’s love letters to Joe, that when combined with her eerily accurate impression of Gracie, will make an audience member uneasy. Julianne Moore also gives a strong performance as Gracie, portraying the ex-pet store worker as someone who feels no guilt or shame for her actions. The epitome of Moore’s lack of remorse comes in full force in the film’s final scenes where she tells Elizabeth “I’m secure” (referencing her relationship and life with Joe), a phrase said in a way that oozes confidence. But perhaps the best performance of the film comes from ‘Riverdale’ star Charles Melton who plays Joe. Melton delivers a spectacular performance in which he holds his own among industry titans like Portman and Moore, while also portraying Joe with care and sensitivity. He does a superb job highlighting how, because he began his affair with Gracie at such a young age, parts of him are still stuck in those teenage years. While showing how he never really grew up due to the trauma he suffered, from the way he spends his days lounging around eating junk food, to the way he approaches intimacy. However, the highlight of Melton’s already mesmerising performance is during a scene with Moore in which Joe attempts to talk to Gracie about their relationship. The way he conducts himself in the dimly lit scene once again shows how parts of Joe are still stuck in a younger mindset, while also showing a man coming to terms with how disordered and damaging his relationship with Gracie has been on him throughout their 23 year marriage.
Despite featuring three stellar performances from its leads, ‘May December’ struggles to escape feeling that it doesn’t appropriately address its subject matter. As a viewer you don’t get to see the true extent and impact of Gracie’s actions as the film almost glosses over it in order to focus on other parts of the film. The way director Todd Haynes approaches the topics in the film begs the question, if Gracie and Joe’s roles were gender-swapped, would the presentation of themselves and their relationship be different and packed with more hostility than in the actual film. Another thing that ‘May December’ struggles with is feeling like a very surface-level look into these characters and their lives, resulting in a lack of substance and background for audiences to actually sink their teeth into and invest in these characters and the complexity of their lives. While the film certainly has its issues, you can’t deny that ‘May December’ is a well-made film. From the intimate, gorgeous cinematography by Chris Blauvelt (‘First Cow’, ‘Mid90s’) that highlights the beauty of Savannah, Georgia, to the steady pacing and strong script from Samy Burch.
While ‘May December’ may feature brilliant performances and attractive cinematography, they don’t make up for the film’s glaring issues. Todd Haynes delivers an uneven execution of a promising premise that feels more shallow than engaging and would fall flat without the convincing performances.