“May December” Director Todd Haynes on Playing With Power in His Beguiling New Film

Beyond appreciation from critics and audiences alike for its compelling screenplay and gorgeous cinematography, Far From Heaven and Carol director Todd Haynes’s new release May December is getting awards buzz for the performances by its magnetic three leads. The film stars Haynes muse Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton as three very complicated, sometimes unlikeable characters that consistently shift the audience’s allegiances. The film is loosely based on the real-life tabloid scandal of 35-year-old teacher Mary Kay Letourneau,

“May December” Editor Affonso Gonçalves on Playing With Identity in Todd Haynes’ New Film

It has been a very busy year for Brazilian-American film editor Affonso Gonçalves, from last fall’s twisted psychological drama Don’t Worry Darling to this year’s doppelgänger medical chiller Dead Ringers and queer wrestling biopic Cassandro. Last week, he returned with director Todd Haynes’ quietly disturbing psychological drama May December.

They have developed a shorthand after working with Haynes on six projects — including the Oscar-nominated Carol and the Emmy-winning Mildred Pierce.

“May December” Screenwriter Samy Burch Unpacks the Unspoken in Todd Haynes’ New Film

May December (in select theaters now), which probes the interior lives of three enigmas aswirl in their own isolating truths, might be 2023’s most debatable movie. Rarely does anyone in Todd Haynes’ film say what they actually mean, and although it remains playful and accessible, an intriguing inscrutability hovers around the central characters. 

Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), a steely circus freak within her upper-middle-class Georgia community, has convinced herself that she is not liable for the liaison she had with a teenage boy while working at a pet store.

“May December” Trailer Reveals Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in Todd Haynes’ Twisty New Film

Film fans rejoice anytime director Todd Haynes delivers a new feature. His last narrative work was 2019’s Dark Waters (his documentary The Velvet Underground was released in 2021), which feels like a lifetime ago considering all that’s happened since. Now, Netflix has revealed the first trailer for his latest, the dark comedy May December, which features his longtime collaborator, Julianne Moore, in a juicy role inspired by true events.