May December (review) – a provocative and ambiguous exploration of self-deception and manipulation

May December is now showing on Sky Cinema in the UK and Netflix in the US.

Many relationships are built on fantasy and self-deception, from the stories we embellish of how we met a partner to the choice to airbrush our relationship problems from public view. While our relationship is enjoyable, these self-deceptions remain hidden, even from a partner, but when a relationship begins to break down or faces external scrutiny, they can quickly bubble to the surface. We are all fascinated by the relationships of others and even more intrigued when we perceive there to be a lie at the heart of a couple’s bond. We are obsessed with the private lives of those we don’t know and relish the opportunity to gossip about what’s really going on behind the curtains of another person’s home. This is never truer than when the actions of an individual or couple challenge the moral and ethical boundaries we have established in society. With his latest film, May December, Todd Haynes challenges us to explore our deepest feelings concerning these moral and ethical boundaries while discussing where manipulation, lies and deception start and end in the formation of a dubious relationship viewed through the lens of a media circus.

In 1997, the married mother of three and Elementary school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau was convicted of rape after an affair with one of her 13-year-old students. Letourneau would serve 80 days in prison before being released on probation, only to re-enter the relationship that put her away, returning to jail for a further seven years. On release, she married the boy in 2005 and had several children with him before their separation in 2017. In 2020, Letourneau passed away, but the story of her relationship continues to fascinate and horrify onlookers in equal measure. From the TV movie All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story to the A&E documentary Mary Kay Letourneau: Autobiography and countless tabloid interviews and articles, many have sought to understand why a mother of three entered a sexual relationship and then marriage with a boy she once taught. Haynes’ film, based on the story and screenplay by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, takes this real-life story as its inspiration and asks us: When does self-deception become an individual truth? And how do the ripples of that deception and the media frenzy that followed impact all those caught in its wake?

Gracie (Julianne Moore) lives in a sprawling house on the lake, her life seemingly ideal as her kids bustle past her in the kitchen and friends talk about life, love and everything in between as they prepare for a barbecue. But there’s a sense of nervousness and apprehension in the air as Gracie awaits a famous guest, the world-renowned actor Elizabeth, played by the brilliant Natalie Portman. Gracie has met celebrities before and is a celebrity of sorts, her face having adorned countless tabloid magazines and newspapers. But this meeting is full of risk, as Elizabeth is to play Gracie in a movie based on her life, and her visit marks the start of several weeks of getting to know one another as Elizabeth works on the foundations of her performance.

Outside, Gracie’s husband, Joe (Charles Melton), stands guarding the barbecue while attempting to control the kids who run around him. He is quiet and guarded yet caring as he swigs on his second beer, something Gracie is only too keen to remind him of as she states, “That’s two!” with an almost motherly tone of concern. Joe is young, chiselled and athletic in stature, a caring dad and loving partner who was just 13 years old when Gracie first met him, but did she seduce and groom him? And could a 13-year-old ever be considered a willing partner despite his assurance he was?

Gracie was married with kids when she “fell in love” with Joe and served time in prison for her actions, where she gave birth to her and Joe’s first child. On release, she married Joe, and despite media intrusion and public gossip, they have remained together. But something feels off as Elizabeth attempts to uncover the psychological foundations of Gracie and Joe’s union, and as she tries to find the truth at the heart of their love, she will ultimately become a part of their ambiguous and beguiling world. 

Todd Haines has always been a master of psychologically informed character studies and the social barriers individuals kick against in attempting to define themselves. Haines’ use of mirrors in his movies often demonstrates that while we create multiple internal versions of ourselves, only one is ever reflected back at us. In May December the use of mirrors reflects the public image Gracie has crafted, her internal turmoil hidden behind a reflection. It’s that reflection that she is keen for Elizabeth to use in her portrayal, not the truth that hides behind it.

May December is provocative and fascinating as it weaves a complex tale of manipulation and self-deception while challenging the tabloid instincts of the audience watching. Haines” wants us to feel uncomfortable as our ears prick, and we debate the moral and ethical outcomes of Gracie and Joe’s uneasy and obscure relationship and the ripples of that union. Haines’ has no intention of providing simple answers to the fragility Gracie keeps locked away or the unease behind Joe’s stoicism.

May December turns the tabloid spectacle of a union born from abuse into a series of emotional deadends, repressed memories and self-deceptions that became personal truths. Here, Julianne Moore’s performance is exquisite in its complexity as she portrays a woman who now believes the fairytale she created long ago to justify her actions. Meanwhile, Portman’s complex study of Elizabeth offers us an actor who already carries many faces as she homes her character study, becoming a skewed mirror image of Gracie as she turns to manipulation in sculpting her performance. But the tour-de-force here is Charles Melton’s performance as Joe – a man who remains a boy in grownup clothes. Melton’s performance highlights the internal division at the heart of Joe’s silence as he attempts to offer his kids something he never had: a teenage life. He sees no other future beyond Gracie; he is forever frozen in time, perpetually the boy she seduced in the backroom of a pet store. 

If you like your movies to have a simple, straightforward moral compass, then May December is probably not for you. But for those who believe in film as a vehicle for debate, challenging the foundations of our understanding of human action and the ripples those actions cause, May December is a provocative and ambiguous exploration of self-deception and manipulation.