If you like your movies with a simple, straightforward moral compass, May December probably isn’t 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.
Many relationships are built on fantasy and self-deception, from the stories we embellish about how we met our partner to the decision to airbrush our relationship problems from public view. Even when our relationship is enjoyable, these self-deceptions often remain hidden, even from our partner. However, when a relationship begins to break down or faces external scrutiny, they can quickly bubble to the surface.
We are all fascinated by others’ relationships, and even more intrigued when we sense 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 an individual or couple’s actions challenge the moral and ethical boundaries society has established. With his latest film, May December, Todd Haynes challenges us to explore our deepest feelings about these moral and ethical boundaries, examining where manipulation, lies, and deception begin 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.
After her release, she married the boy in 2005 and had several children with him before they separated 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.
Todd Haynes’ film, based on the story and screenplay by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, draws inspiration from this real-life story and asks: 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 discuss life, love, and everything in between as they prepare for a barbecue. But nervousness and apprehension hang 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 in her own right, with her face appearing on the covers of countless tabloid magazines and newspapers.
However, this meeting carries significant risk: Elizabeth is set 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 lays the foundation for her performance.
Outside, Gracie’s husband, Joe (Charles Melton), stands guard over the barbecue while trying to keep the kids from running 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. Did she seduce and groom him? Could a 13-year-old ever be considered a willing partner, despite his assurance that 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. However, something feels off as Elizabeth attempts to uncover the psychological foundations of Gracie and Joe’s relationship; as she tries to find the truth at the heart of their love, she will ultimately become part of their complex and beguiling world.
Todd Haynes has long been a master of psychologically informed character studies and the social barriers individuals face when trying to define themselves. Haynes’s use of mirrors often shows that while we create multiple internal versions of ourselves, only one is ever reflected back at us. In May December, mirrors reflect the public image Gracie has crafted, with her internal turmoil hidden behind a reflection. It’s that reflection she wants Elizabeth to use in her portrayal, not the truth behind it.
May December is provocative and fascinating, weaving a complex tale of manipulation and self-deception while challenging the audience’s tabloid instincts. Haynes 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. Haynes has no intention of providing straightforward 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 dead ends, 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 100% believes the fairy tale she created long ago and used to justify her actions.
Meanwhile, Portman’s complex study of Elizabeth offers an actor who already carries many faces as she homes in on her character, 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 grown-up 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 back room of a pet store.
If you like your movies with a simple, straightforward moral compass, then May December probably isn’t 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.
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