May December (2023)

Todd Haynes follows up his serviceable yet gripping real life drama Dark Waters (2019) with another true life tale that questions morality alongside potential true love surrounded by staggering narcissism and control.

Loosely based on the true story of Mary Kay Letourneau who was jailed for having sexual relations with her twelve year old student back in 1998, May December focuses on Julianne Moore's Gracie; a former teacher who in 1992 was caught having sex with one of her students, thirteen year old Joe (an absolutely exceptional Charles Melton) and subsequently jailed. Whilst she was inside, she birthed Joe's child, and twenty three years later, is married to Joe and living with their now three children in Savannah, the same town in which they lived at the time of the initial scandal.

The film takes place over a few weeks leading up to the graduation from high school of Joe and Gracie's twins, and during that period Natalie Portman's actress Elizabeth arrives to stay with them. She's portraying Gracie in an upcoming film adaptation of the 1992 affair and we slowly begin to understand that both women are guilty of appalling narcissism and self centered ideals in their efforts to get exactly what they want.

Whilst walking with Joe one day, Elizabeth quizzes Joe on his controversial marriage, to which he answers "We've been together twenty three years- surely that proves we love each other?" Which is all very well but you immediately sense hesitation and perhaps simply acceptance of the situation.

Realising Joe's malleability, Elizabeth begins to mold him into servicing her own needs, leading to one particularly heartbreaking scene in which you truly appreciate Joe's vulnerabilities, all stemming from never being able to have a real life of his own.

Although from the outset he's caring and loving towards Gracie, we begin to see patterns of narcissism from Gracie: all the while they're living in the very town that housed their initial law defying relationship, proving the complete lack of self awareness Gracie suffers from.

People in the town don't dismiss her or look at her strangely, indeed they actively include her in activities so she has something to do. It seems the world revolves around her, as indeed is her wish. Gracie bakes cakes on request for the town folk, and when one order is cancelled she reacts like someone has killed a beloved pet, curled up on her bed crying waiting for Joe to come in and comfort her, as she knows he will.

But although the arrival of Elizabeth on the scene adds another female to Joe's life who harnesses pretentions of care for him, it allows him to very slowly begin to express his own thoughts- to himself as much as to anyone else. It's a tragic realisation but one which doesn't diminish his own relationship with his children, if anything it's vital to those bonds that he begins to take a grip of his own life.

Haynes pulls stunning performances from his two leading ladies, as he did for 2015's heartbreaking Carol; Moore and Portman are at the top of their game here. Portman's portrayal of Elizabeth suggests an actress who's actually not a particularly good one, something that's very difficult to nail down but she does it with astonishing persuasion.

Moore dazzles as Gracie, in complete control of Joe and her life until things don't go exactly to plan, then she unleashes horrific dominance and authority cleverly disguised as distress.

The tone of May December is all over the place, deliberately so, and its superb score by Marcelo Zarvos lingers at times to impress upon you thoughts and feelings, playing with your emotions and throwing you this way and that as you attempt to nail down how you should react. This clever approach puts you in Joe's shoes; he struggles to differentiate between how he should feel and how he actually feels, meaning the resulting confusion is pounced upon by Gracie as she guides him towards what he 'must' be feeling, and how she can help him achieve her own goals under the guise of them being 'their' wishes.

All of this results in one of 2023's finest films. Haynes is a wonderful film maker and he's crafted something here that's quite brilliant, extracting wonderful performances from a cast that prove their worth once again.

8.4/10