May December ★★½

Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) has a new job. An actress, she is to visit the Savannah home of Gracie (Julianne Moore) who she is to play in an upcoming independent film. Gracie is a sex offender. At the age of 36, she was caught in an inappropriate relationship with 13 year old Joe Yoo (Charles Melton). Her story became the subject of tabloids nationwide and prompted the greenlighting of a film based on her relationship with Joe. Elizabeth’s hope for the film is that it presents Gracie and Joe as people, and not tabloid caricatures. 

Today, Gracie and Joe are married with children. Gracie welcomes Elizabeth to a family barbecue and Elizabeth is introduced to Gracie’s family, some starstruck by meeting a Hollywood actress. Gracie comes across as kind and her family, at first glance, seems like a normal, happy family. To get to know Gracie, Elizabeth begins to shadow Gracie through her everyday life. Elizabeth observes the attention to detail Gracie places in her floral arrangements and baked goods. Gracie is soft-spoken as she shows Elizabeth how to prepare these items. Elizabeth learns that Gracie was rather sheltered when she was brought up and doesn’t tend to reflect on her life or actions, or how they’re perceived by others. This is in contrast to Elizabeth who is introspective.

As Elizabeth begins to interview those close to Gracie, Gracie expresses discomfort with this idea, telling Elizabeth to let her know before she speaks to someone since she’ll hear about the discussion occurring anyways. Gracie believes that if Elizabeth does not let her know beforehand who Elizabeth decides to speak to would be going behind her back. We sense a bit of aversion from Gracie as Elizabeth learns more about her. Having someone observe your life with the expectation of sharing it in a movie is daunting. Elizabeth becomes fascinated by Gracie, and she shares in a high school acting class that she is drawn to morally ambiguous roles. The grey area fascinates her.

As Elizabeth continues her interviews, this grey area continues to come out. Elizabeth learns that, despite appearances, Gracie is quite fragile in contrast with her matriarchal appearance and that Gracie may have experienced sexual abuse as a child. And Gracie may be doing some acting of her own when she is around Elizabeth. Scenes involving the two in front of mirrors, one with Gracie showing Elizabeth how she applies makeup place Elizabeth in a trance as she ‘becomes’ Gracie. Portman and Moore are captivating in their performances, Gracie and Elizabeth deeply conscious of the other. Their performances are subtle, Portman taking on Moore’s character’s mannerisms and posture in certain scenes.

May December leads up to Gracie and Joe’s children’s high school graduation, the couple soon to become empty nesters. Elizabeth’s visit at this pivotal point in their lives comes with its consequences for Joe in particular as he thinks back on his life with Gracie. Elizabeth becomes close with Joe as part of her research into Gracie, and Melton’s performance rivals Portman’s and Moore’s as he expresses Joe’s vulnerability and self-reflection that peeks through his confident facade.

Todd Haynes is no stranger to melodramas and portraying forbidden romance on the screen, and May December is filled with his sensibilities and even humor. Though we’ve seen obsession and similar stories on the silver screen aplenty, the acting in May December elevates the film’s sleazy underpinning into a thoughtful character study. Unfortunately, however, it isn’t Elizabeth and Gracie that are the most fascinating sources of drama. The impact of Gracie’s actions, for me, is a great subject of curiosity as we see Joe grapple with his thoughts on his marriage to Gracie and wondering what his life would be like had he not met Gracie. Additionally, we’re introduced to Gracie’s son Georgie (Cory Michael Smith) who is the same age as Joe, and Georgie’s confrontational and hurt persona would be a treasure trove to explore more.

In choosing to play Gracie in a film, Elizabeth believes that filmmaking has a nobility to it, that it can help show truth. But as she spends more time with Gracie and her family, the less she seems to know. As Elizabeth strays further and further from the truth, she becomes caught up in Gracie’s life, so much so she falls into a murky grey area of her own that might present challenges getting out of.