#FIRSTLOOK: “MAY DECEMBER” TEASER

We cannot wait to see this but are thrilled we finally get a teaser for MAY DECEMBER, which premiere at Cannes to raves.

LOGLINE:

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore, Charles Melton) buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.

DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
SCREENPLAY BY: Samy Burch
STORY BY: Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik
PRODUCERS: Natalie Portman, Sophie Mas, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, Grant S. Johnson, Tyler W. Konney, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell
EXEC. PRODUCERS: Madeleine K. Rudin, Thomas K. Richards, Lee Broda, Jeff Rice, Jonathan Montepare, Samy Burch, Alex Brown, Thorsten Schumacher, Claire Taylor
KEY CAST: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton

Opens New York Film Festival on September 29, 2023
In Select Theatres November 17, 2023
On Netflix December 1, 2023 (US & Canada)

#CANNES: “MAY DECEMBER” REVIEW

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Todd Haynes’ campy Dark Comedy May December is a sharp look at trauma and a critique of Hollywood’s invasive nature.

Actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) travels to Savannah, Georgia to research her newest role. It’s for a biographical Film of a notorious tabloid romance between Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) that happened 20 years prior. Lucky for Elizabeth, Gracie (who she’s going to portray) has invited her into the now-married couple’s home. But when the Actress begins asking personal questions to get to the heart of her character, it forces the couple to confront their past.

Haynes’ tempered direction infuses camp humour into an unsettling story. Gracie and Joe began their affair twenty years prior. Gracie was a fully-formed adult with children and a husband, while Joe was in seventh grade. Their relationship shocked the news when they were caught in the stockroom of the pet store they both worked at. Gracie went to prison where she discovered she was pregnant with Joe’s child. Now, 20 years later, they’re married and share three children.

When Elizabeth arrives, it’s clear there are cracks in the marriage. Gracie spends her time anxious, often sobbing in bed in the middle of the night. Additionally, she controls Joe, treating him more like one of her children than her husband. In her fifth collaboration with Haynes, Moore is at her most mysterious ever. Balancing Gracie on the fine line between neurotic fragility and savagery. 

May December critiques not only Gracie for her stomach-churning crime. It’s an examination of Hollywood’s invasive nature of these stories. Even the Cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt is hazy and feels glamorous like an old Hollywood film. Elizabeth inserts herself into the lives of Gracie, Joe, their children and their extended family. She has invasive questions without remorse for the effect they cause. Portman is in top form as the Actress whose true motivations become clearer the more people she meets who are impacted by the affair.

This theme becomes ever more prominent once Elizabeth tells Joe that she’s doing all this for the “story”. That’s when it hits Joe that Elizabeth never cared about him. She doesn’t even look at him as human. He’s just a character that Hollywood is going to use to earn profit and accolades. Melton is a revelation as he goes toe-to-toe with the caliber of talent he is placed alongside. His performance is heartbreaking as a — still — young man whose unaddressed trauma is turning into crippling stress and anxiety.

Haynes’ camera observes his characters, allowing the audience to become the judge and jury to Gracie and Elizabeth. The only character who can walk away with a clean conscious is Joe, who both women are traumatizing in different ways. With the diligent pacing of the script by Samy Burch, each character slowly unravels like one of the monarchs Joe cares for. Well, all but Gracie who remains an enigma.

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May December screens at Cannes ’23:

Sat May 20 at 10:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Sun May 21 at 9AM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Sun May 21 at 11AM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Sun May 21 at 6:15PM at CINEUM IMAX

Sun May 21 at 7PM at LICORNE

Mon May 22 at 11AM at CINEUM AURORE

Tue May 23 at 11AM at CINEUM SCREEN X

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