To prepare for a role inspired by a true story, an actress meets the woman she will play on screen. A middle-aged woman whose scandalous affair with a 13-year-old boy ignited the tabloid press 20 years earlier.
From the credits, to the sound of the beautiful music of Michel Legrand (that of the film The Go Between), Todd Haynes establishes the cozy climate of his film. We see Gracie (Julianne Moore), shortly before the arrival of Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), who is preparing the traditional 4th of July BBQ. However, this stranger, a famous actress who interferes in Gracie’s family, will not take long to shake the facade of her artificial happiness.
Of Safe has Carol Passing by Far from Heaven, the cinema of Todd Haynes likes to debunk the myth of the American dream. Using the codes… of American culture and Hollywood films. His work reminds us that denial and obsession with images are terrible social poisons. He is one of the most fascinating filmmakers south of the 49e parallel. And May Decemberwithout being his best film, confirms this.
People who are insecure are dangerous, Gracie tells Elizabeth when she asks her about her unusual past. Because she is having an affair with Joe (Charles Melton) who is a quarter of a century apart from her. Melton also plays the lover and father of three children as a teenager who grew up too quickly. Accused of raping a minor in 1993, Gracie was convicted and served time in prison, before marrying Joe when she came of age; then started a second family.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NETFLIX
Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman in a scene from May December
The storyline is inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau affair which made headlines in the 1990s. A teacher at a school in Washington state, Letourneau had a relationship with her 6-year-old student.e year. She was tried and served time in prison too, before marrying her young lover.
Like the series Pet, director Todd Haynes delves into this taboo subject by showing the collateral damage of this love. However, he is more interested in the relationship between fiction and reality than in news items. Very anchored in the method acting, Elizabeth will push her research to resemble her character. According to her, the darkest and most complex roles, from Medea to Hedda Gabler, are the most interesting to play. Without realizing that his own quest for dramatic truth causes more damage than reality.
Criticism of the media and moral authority, May December enjoys confusing the cards without judging his characters. Gracie, Elizabeth and Joe are all trapped in their illusions. In the tradition of Bergman and Losey, Todd Haynes delivers a dark and hushed film, psychologically disturbing, and carried by an extraordinary duo of actresses.
Limited release in theaters this Friday and on Netflix on the 1ster December.
Drama
May December
Todd Haynes
Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton
1:57 a.m.