May December (Todd Haynes, 2023)
May December by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes is a superb comedy drama about three complex characters, who each prove to be fascinating in their own right.
Expertly written by Samy Burch, May December is about a well-known actress, Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman), who goes on a research trip to Savannah, Georgia for her next role in an independent film production
Berry is going to play Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), who went to jail 23 years earlier, because she - as a married woman with children - had an illicit affair with a young boy, Joe Yoo, who helped her out at the local pet shop.
However, their relationship endured and Gracie, now in her sixties, and Joe (Charles Belton), now 36, are the proud parents of twins, who will soon leave for college, thus leaving them (though mostly Joe, as Gracie has been there before) with empty nest anxiety.
Gracie and Joe have made money from tv appearances and they are not averse to media attention, even though they don’t really trust Elizabeth, who will be around for a week (or maybe two).
Berry, for her part, appears to be genuinely interested in both Gracie and Joe, but she also wants to get to the bottom of what happened 23 years ago, making her trip just a little more exploitative than necessary.
Todd Haynes, now 62, is one of the most talented filmmakers around. He directed masterpieces like Far From Heaven (2002) and Carol (2015), and in between made lots of interesting movies like the subversive Bowie and Dylan biopics, Velvet Goldmine (1998) and I’m Not There (2007) respectively, the well received television series Mildred Pierce (2011) and, perhaps an odd duck in his oeuvre, the legal thriller Dark Waters (2019), which actually became one of his more successful movies.
May December once again shows Haynes at his brilliant best. The acting is, as always, of the highest order, with Moore, Portman and Belton all delivering award worthy performances. In a time where everything has to be morally clear cut, Haynes and writer Burch allow their characters to act in morally ambiguous ways. Gracie did a bad, bad thing, but she paid a price and is still absolutely in love with Joe. (Whether that justifies what she did, is one of those questions we the viewers have to decide for ourselves).
Joe is a proud dad who seems to be happy with his lot in life, but it is clear that he has never quite come to terms with what happened to him at too young an age; and at 36 he is still young enough to start over again, if only there was someone, say an actress on a research trip, to awaken him to that possibility.
And then there is Elizabeth Berry, who seems to know it all, but underneath is just as insecure as anyone else. And the longer she stays in Savannah the more it starts to show.
These three characters are each fascinating enough to warrant a movie of their own, but thrown together they are downright irresistible. The scenes where Portman and Moore stand before a mirror and Elizabeth starts to blend with Gracie are some of the best acted ones of the last couple of years.
Add to this the superb technical work - camera, art direction, costumes, hair and make-up are all top notch - its no surprise that this Todd Haynes movie is once again among the year’s finest.
I’d be shocked (shocked!) if May December doesn’t get a Best Picture nomination at the next Academy Awards.