There is not as much shame as there used to be when I would admit to going into a movie thinking it was bad and it ends up being good (or vice versa).
I had more of a “mistaken identity” when watching May December. I’m not sure where I read it (or where I thought I did) but I went into the film thinking that the two main actresses, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, were a married couple. Regardless of how I came to this false conclusion, it is not the case the new film by Todd Haynes, but that does not at all take away from the true film, with one of the more unique and admittedly disturbing premises in recent memory.
Set in the mid 2010s, the film centers on Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Moore), who, at the age of 36, was arrested for having an affair with a teenage boy, Joe. Years later and still married to Joe (Charles Melton), they have agreed to have the story made into a TV movie, and allowed the actress who play Gracie, Elizabeth Berry (Portman). At first, the actress does get along with her subject, but soon things start to go south.
At this point, I should make a confession: I had to stop the review midway and rewatch the movie a second time, which is something I cannot remember doing in the past.
Oscar buzz is palpable here with the three main actors. Portman and Moore are main stays in the acting community, but still seem to really be going for it here (Moore brings a lisp with her while the first hair cut we see of Portman’s character reminded me a bit of Julia Roberts). Yet, as of this writing, the buzz has mainly been around Charles Melton (who I admit to not having seen before). His is the character we end up feeling the most sympathy toward, and his performance makes it that much easier for us.
Parents, this is a hard R for the content alone (not to mention the swearing and one brief sex scene). High School and up.
Only on the second viewing did I realize that this film could be considered a dark comedy. Even two viewings does not seem to be enough. I am reminded of a scene from the 1995 film Mr. Holland’s Opus, where Glenn Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) is trying to respond to his wife Iris’s (Glenne Headly) news that she is pregnant. He mentions how he first tried listening to John Coltrane’s album Blue Train, and could not understand it. So, he listens again, and again, and again, until he realizes he just could not stop playing it. That is how I feel about May December.
Todd Haynes’ film is nothing short of multi-layered, and, in this case, that is a good thing. Even more than two viewings won’t be enough.
Overall:
Nothing else to say 