A review of the new film “May December”
At the heart of this ambitious and ambiguous movie from director Todd Haynes are two enigmatic and ultimately unsympathetic female characters. There is Gracie Atherton-Yoo (a wonderful Julianne Moore), who 24 years earlier went to prison for having sex with a teenage boy whom she later married, and Elizabeth Berry (an outstanding Natalie Portman), an actress carrying out research for her portrayal of the younger Gracie in a sensitive, independent film.As Haynes has put it in an interview: “You keep shifting back and forth between trusting and mistrusting one or the other”. Caught in between these two women, who are in their different ways both manipulative, is Gracie’s young husband Joe Yoo (an impressive Charles Melton).
The story is loosely based on the actual case of Mary Kay Letouneau, a teacher who seduced her very young pupil. This exploration of the ethical dilemma is an immensely stylish work.
Set in Savannah, Georgia, the play of light through windows and on caterpillars is truly captivating. The music – an adaptation of the Michel Legand theme from “The Go-Between” – is striking and disturbing. Two of the most memorable scenes are when Gracie applies make-up to Elizabeth and when Elizabeth gives a soliloquy direct to camera.
This is almost as far from blockbuster material as you could imagine but, if you want to see a character-driven movie with two actresses at the top of their game, this is highly commended.