Life after a scandal. That’s the thrust of “May December,” a look at a couple who were the focus of tabloids when an innocent friendship at a pet store turned into a full-on cause celebre. She was much older; he was under the age of consent.
Flash forward and their daughter is in college and their twins are graduating from high school. Their current story is largely untold.
That is until an actress (Natalie Portman) decides to shadow them for a film she’s making about just such a situation. She embeds with the couple (Julianne Moore and Charles Melton) and gets to see the tension that exists and the regret that’s never too far away.
Director Todd Haynes starts with what seems like an idyllic life, then peels away the layers.
Living in a large house in Savannah, the couple have rehearsed answers for just about everything. But when Elizabeth (Portman) starts digging, she finds much more.
Haynes gets his best moments when he separates the two and lets Portman play reporter. Her biggest discoveries are with Joe (Melton) who lets more than a little remorse spill. Melton’s performance is amazingly complex – something we never considered when the Mary Kay Letourneau case was glutting the market. Like this, that produced plenty of strained situations and an outside hatred that never disappeared. Here we see what else is at stake.
Charles Melton stars in "May December."
As Elizabeth combs old clippings, she finds the questions needed to get under the skin.
Moore’s Gracie is matter of fact about everything. Sometimes (particularly with her daughter), she’s too blunt. But when she’s retelling her story, it’s carefully curated.
Joe’s isn’t quite so groomed. He gives Elizabeth answers she didn’t know she was seeking.
Even though it’s a supporting performance, Melton’s work towers. It’s the emotional core of something like this – a cautionary tale that lets him play many roles, the least of which is the child-like lover.
When he’s interacting with butterflies, you get the poignant metaphor and wonder what might have been.
While Portman uses Gracie’s voice to create her character, she’s not quite capable of the woman’s abrupt moves. She tries (oh how she tries) but this is a woman who has hardened over the years. If the work results in an award-winning performance is anyone’s guess.
Charles Melton as Joe Yoo with Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry in "May December."
What “May December” shows is how the “process” affects the outcome. Without meeting Gracie, Elizabeth might have delivered a different performance. With her as a resource, it has to be different.
While audiences may be divided on an older woman romancing a very younger man, they have to see how its impact has affected her.
She’s not the romantic she once was; he isn’t the forbidden fruit she plucked.
Haynes gives it a haze of normalcy but finds the odd/unusual behavior in the conversations.
When Joe is on the roof with his son, we discover what he missed. In a way, it’s heartbreaking and key to something like this.
“May December” isn’t the “ripped from the headlines” story you might want. But it is one you should stop to consider.
Sioux City Journal entertainment editor Bruce Miller speaks with Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh about their starring roles in season 5 of FX's "Fargo."
