‘May December’: Todd Haynes on How ‘Clouded Ambitions’ Drive Natalie Portman in Netflix Film
Preview
May December, the latest from director Todd Haynes, inspired by an infamous scandal, goes to some mighty dark places.
Julianne Moore is Gracie Atherton, a suburban woman who ignited a media frenzy when, at 36, she had an affair with seventh-grader Joe Yoo (Riverdale’s Charles Melton). She’s now married to Yoo and living away from the spotlight in Savannah, but her sordid past comes back to haunt her when actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) visits the pair to research her role as Gracie for a movie.
“As Elizabeth observes and studies Gracie and her world, and gets to know Joe, her reliability as a narrator begins to falter,” notes Haynes of the film, based in part on the real-life 1997 case involving the late suburban Seattle teacher Mary Kay Letourneau and the sixth-grade student she had an affair with, and eventually married.
(Credit: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix)
“[Elizabeth’s] investment in revealing truths becomes clouded by her ambitions,” Haynes says. It’s also clear Joe has yet to deal with all that transpired years prior, a realization prodded by the new woman in his home, who may be more like his groomer than anyone imagined. As Haynes puts it, the film ultimately “explores our colossal refusal to look [deeply] at ourselves.”
May December, Premieres Friday, December 1, Netflix
More Must-See Films From Haynes, Moore & Portman
Non-Stop (Available Now)
Julianne Moore is no stranger to action, and in this 2014 thriller, she stars as a business-class passenger who helps air marshal Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) figure out which fellow traveler is planning to hijack their flight from New York to London. Make sure your seat belts are buckled and trays are in the upright positions, because this one throws in a ton of twists before it lands on who the real culprit is.
Carol (Available Now)
Haynes’ 2015 drama, set in 1950s New York, finds the director again casting his eye on an illicit romance, this time between an aspiring photographer (Rooney Mara) and an unhappily married older woman (Cate Blanchett, above). In addition to six Oscar nominations, the LGBTQ+ fave was also named “one of the greatest films of the 21st century” by the BBC.
No Strings Attached (Available Now)
It’s a rom-com for the non-coms… noncommittals, that is! Natalie Portman stars with Ashton Kutcher in this underrated 2011 romp as Emma and Adam, who have been friends since they were kids at summer camp. They strike up a purely physical relationship in order to avoid actual connection… until one of them catches feelings for the other. How soon before they go from “no strings” to “attached?”
This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s December issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands, or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
Carol where to stream
No Strings Attached where to stream
