Film Analysis
In Todd Haynes’s latest, May December, Natalie Portman gives what may be her boldest, most complex turn yet — playing Elizabeth, a television actress who is preparing to portray Gracie (the role played in the film’s world by Julianne Moore).
The plot centers on Elizabeth’s deep dive into the history of a once-sensational tabloid romance: a scandal that belongs to the past on paper but refuses to stay buried.
As Elizabeth chases authenticity for her role, the distinctions between reenactment and reality begin to fray, and old, suppressed feelings creep back into the present.
The trailer teases a humid, unsettling atmosphere — equal parts melodrama and creeping self-deception — that hints at the film’s psychological tension.
Ultimately, May December promises a layered exploration of fame, memory, and how attempting to inhabit someone else can upend your own sense of self.
Todd Haynes’ May December splits its focus between an intimate character study and a wry look at celebrity spectacle.
The story follows Elizabeth (played by Natalie Portman), a well-known TV actress who travels to Savannah, Georgia, to prepare for a film based on a notorious tabloid romance.
That tabloid story centers on Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton), a relationship that once dominated gossip pages because of their age difference and the legal fallout it produced.
Gracie served time after the scandal; upon her release she and Joe married, raising three children who are now approaching high school graduation.
At first their life seems steady and ordinary, but Elizabeth’s close observation gradually pries loose buried emotions and reveals how complicated the past truly is.
May December was written by Samy Burch, a first-time screenwriter who says the project began with Joe’s perspective — a 36-year-old on the cusp of empty-nesting who never really reckoned with what happened to him or how the media treated it.
Burch was also interested in the shift from 1990s tabloid obsession to today’s true-crime fixation, and how that cultural change reframes old scandals.
Tonally, the film walks a narrow line between heightened melodrama and sharp comedy, a balance that Haynes and his cast handle deliberately.
Producer Pamela Koffler notes that Haynes’ films often blend looseness and lightness with precise control, creating a taut but playful cinematic voice.
Music plays a major role in shaping the film’s mood before anyone speaks: Haynes retools a score by the late French composer Michel Legrand — originally used in Joseph Losey’s 1971 The Go-Between — to build a sense of anticipation, irony, and unease.
That musical layer primes viewers to read visual cues and emotional shifts, so the audience is positioned to empathize with the characters rather than simply mock them.
For a deeper look at the creative process, Krista Smith’s podcast Skip Intro features interviews with Todd Haynes, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charles Melton, Samy Burch, and producer Christine Vachon.
Haynes discusses why he cast Melton, his long-running collaboration with Moore (their fifth film together), and what drew him to work with Portman, along with reflections on his earlier films and the moment he committed to becoming an artist.
Separate Skip Intro episodes include extended conversations with Moore and with Melton, where each actor talks about their approach to these complicated roles.
May December blends sharp observation, emotional complexity, and a self-aware tone to explore how personal histories and public narratives collide.
Behind Gracie Atherton-Yoo's polished exterior lies profound fragility.
Two decades after her prison term for a relationship with 13-year-old Joe—now her husband—she fiercely protects their constructed life.
Yet control remains her elusive obsession, a veneer fracturing as actress Elizabeth probes their world.
Julianne Moore dissects Gracie's psyche: "She romanticizes this as a grand love story, her prince emerging from childhood,"
revealing how Gracie elevates a boy to manhood to justify her narrative.
"This isn't a queen; she's perpetually the princess," Moore observes, exposing the delusion sustaining her.
Reuniting for their fifth collaboration, director Todd Haynes instantly envisioned Moore embodying Gracie's contradictions.
"Julianne needed to excavate the core of such a relationship," Haynes noted,
praising her portrayal of "willfulness welded to stubborn self-avoidance."
Moore's Gracie clings to choices with terrifying resolve, masking vulnerability beneath performative normalcy.
The Oscar-winner navigates Gracie’s labyrinthine denial—a woman simultaneously defiant and crumbling,
her meticulously built reality trembling under scrutiny.
Haynes trusted Moore to manifest these jagged edges,
crafting a portrait where love story and trauma violently coexist.
Stream Moore’s transformative performances in related films on Netflix.
Film Overview and Performances
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Elizabeth Berry arrives in Savannah to research Gracie and Joe’s household, preparing to embody Gracie in an indie film about their notorious affair.
She initially comes across as inquisitive and nonjudgmental, sincerely trying to understand the family dynamics.
But as Elizabeth embeds herself in their daily life, her involvement grows invasive and her intentions grow harder to read, eventually destabilizing the family she’s meant to observe.
“I was excited to explore an actress,” Natalie Portman told Netflix about taking the role.
“I’ve never really played an actress, and, of course, it’s something I have insight into by being one myself for a long time. It’s interesting to me the kind of performance that people create in their own lives that is akin to acting.”
Portman — an Oscar-winning performer with a wide range — is well suited to play a character who is both observer and performer.
Her filmography spans period drama, psychological thriller and romantic comedy, including titles such as The Other Boleyn Girl, Black Swan and No Strings Attached.
Todd Haynes describes the relationship between Elizabeth and Gracie as a careful, tense choreography: “Both women are circling each other and trying to get a handle on each other.”
For Haynes, Elizabeth’s work is a process of building trust and patiently navigating the walls Gracie puts up, piece by piece.
Todd Haynes' "May December" Explores Complex Relationships Through Charles Melton's Breakout Role
Charles Melton delivers a standout performance in Todd Haynes' critically acclaimed film as Joe, a 36-year-old father navigating the complexities of his unusual marriage. Known primarily for his work in "The Sun is Also a Star" and "Poker Face," Melton undergoes a remarkable transformation to portray this multifaceted character.
Joe's story centers on his identity as a devoted family man married to Gracie (Julianne Moore), with whom he shares three children. Their relationship—classified as a "May December" romance due to their significant age difference—becomes increasingly strained when actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) arrives to research Gracie's life for an upcoming film role.
What makes Melton's performance particularly compelling is how he captures Joe's emotional awakening. As director Haynes noted, he was "stunned by the understatement and understanding" Melton brought to portraying someone "so stuck, so caged up, so bound up in this marriage." The character's journey involves confronting long-suppressed feelings and questioning whether the life he's built is truly his own choice.
The film has garnered significant critical acclaim, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), along with acting nominations for all three leads. Additionally, screenwriter Samy Burch and story collaborator Alex Mechanik received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Viewers in the United States and Canada can now stream this thought-provoking examination of complex relationships on Netflix.
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