I was unaware of the story behind May December until I was researching for this review. It wasn’t until after I watched the film that I realised that it was inspired by a real story, that of Mary Kay Letourneau and her husband Vili Fualaau. But honestly, I don’t think you need to know that to see how excellent of a film May December is, because everything about it really is just brilliant.
Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) has landed herself the leading role in a biopic. She will play Gracie (Julianne Moore), a woman who twenty years earlier was arrested for engaging in sexual activities with a thirteen year old boy, Joe (Charles Melton). Following her release from prison the two got married and had a family together. To better understand Gracie and the relationship she has with Joe, Elizabeth spends quality time with them in the hopes of telling the story they want to tell.
Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) has landed herself the leading role in a biopic. She will play Gracie (Julianne Moore), a woman who twenty years earlier was arrested for engaging in sexual activities with a thirteen year old boy, Joe (Charles Melton). Following her release from prison the two got married and had a family together. To better understand Gracie and the relationship she has with Joe, Elizabeth spends quality time with them in the hopes of telling the story they want to tell.
I have a note here that reads “creepy, weirdly funny, and disturbingly sweet”. It makes me realise that i’m surprised that I haven’t seen tabloid headlines reading ‘New film glorifies paedophillia’, because honestly May December does a really good job at trying to justify the issue at the centre of its story.
It’s a subject that I feel anyone with their head screwed on properly would have a strong opposition to going into the film, but coming away from it, I felt compassion and sympathy for Gracie and Joe who have spent their lives persecuted because of their love for each other.
It never paints Gracie as innocent, but it does try to put forward the notion that her and Joe’s relationship is no different to anyone else’s. In fact there’s a decent amount of justification from Joe, with him explaining to Elizabeth how he hates that even now as a nearly forty year old he’s infantilised and seen as a victim by everyone other than Gracie. It offers a great new perspective on some complicated and upsetting subject matter, and like I said earlier it does leave you wondering come credits roll whether the persecution they have both suffered was warranted.
The biggest appeal of the film is the performances from Portman and Melton. We all know that when Portman gets a role she can sink her teeth into she soars and the character of Elizabeth is certainly one she loves inhabiting. As the film goes on we can see her adopting the mannerisms of Gracie/Moore as she begins to form her own version of Gracie in preparation for the film. It reminded me a lot of her character in Black Swan, obsessing over the smallest details again and again until they’re exactly how she wants them.
Melton meanwhile is a relative newcomer and whilst some will be familiar with him from Riverdale I think this might be the first time I’ve encountered him. He’s really excellent here, displaying so many different sides to an extremely complex and unique character. He’s not had a normal life, and so Melton explores the ways in which Joe is older and wiser than his years, but also the ways in which he is naive and young at heart. A particularly moving scene sees him smoking marijuana with his teenage son, something he never did at his son’s age because he was looking after his children and married to Gracie.
It’s a subject that I feel anyone with their head screwed on properly would have a strong opposition to going into the film, but coming away from it, I felt compassion and sympathy for Gracie and Joe who have spent their lives persecuted because of their love for each other.
It never paints Gracie as innocent, but it does try to put forward the notion that her and Joe’s relationship is no different to anyone else’s. In fact there’s a decent amount of justification from Joe, with him explaining to Elizabeth how he hates that even now as a nearly forty year old he’s infantilised and seen as a victim by everyone other than Gracie. It offers a great new perspective on some complicated and upsetting subject matter, and like I said earlier it does leave you wondering come credits roll whether the persecution they have both suffered was warranted.
The biggest appeal of the film is the performances from Portman and Melton. We all know that when Portman gets a role she can sink her teeth into she soars and the character of Elizabeth is certainly one she loves inhabiting. As the film goes on we can see her adopting the mannerisms of Gracie/Moore as she begins to form her own version of Gracie in preparation for the film. It reminded me a lot of her character in Black Swan, obsessing over the smallest details again and again until they’re exactly how she wants them.
Melton meanwhile is a relative newcomer and whilst some will be familiar with him from Riverdale I think this might be the first time I’ve encountered him. He’s really excellent here, displaying so many different sides to an extremely complex and unique character. He’s not had a normal life, and so Melton explores the ways in which Joe is older and wiser than his years, but also the ways in which he is naive and young at heart. A particularly moving scene sees him smoking marijuana with his teenage son, something he never did at his son’s age because he was looking after his children and married to Gracie.
May December is beautifully constructed. Christopher Blauvelt’s shots are gorgeous to look at, and the way Alfonso Gonçalves has compiled it gives the story both a vigorous momentum and yet allows room for deep reflection. It does have its peculiar moments with extreme dramatic music stings from Marcello Zarvos, combined with long drawn out zooming shots. It gives it a tinge of a TV murder mystery at times, and though it probably shouldn’t work it really builds the atmosphere quite nicely.
May December was a film that wasn’t on my radar until I heard the rave reviews for it and I’m really glad I checked it out because it’s probably within my top ten films of the year. It presents a fresh perspective on difficult subject matter, and it’s left me thinking about it long after the credits rolled. With a powerful lead performance from Portman, and an excellent supporting performance from Melton, May December is a film I can definitely see myself revisiting again.
May December was a film that wasn’t on my radar until I heard the rave reviews for it and I’m really glad I checked it out because it’s probably within my top ten films of the year. It presents a fresh perspective on difficult subject matter, and it’s left me thinking about it long after the credits rolled. With a powerful lead performance from Portman, and an excellent supporting performance from Melton, May December is a film I can definitely see myself revisiting again.