The Netflix feature film May December, directed by Todd Haynes, takes the craft of character study to a whole new level.
The plot is inspired by the true story of Mary Kay Letourneau, an elementary school teacher who, in the late '90s, was incarcerated after became involved with her 12-year-old student. Letourneau and the student eventually married but separated years later. She died in 2020.
Natalie Portman portrays Elizabeth Berry, an actor who investigates a fictional version of the controversial couple in order to portray the teacher in an independent movie project. Julianne Moore plays Berry's complicated subject, Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who has now settled down in Savannah, Georgia with Joe Yoo, portrayed by Charles Melton. The term May December refers to a wide age gap between partners, but much more than that is explored in this unpredictable film.
Haynes is an out-and-proud creative force who began his feature-directing career with 1991's Poison, a queer cinematic achievement that interpreted the work of French novelist Jean Genet through a distinctly '90s lens. In 2015, Haynes's film Carol told the tale of a forbidden lesbian love story, taking home the Chicago International Film Festival's Gold Q Hugo Award, among other accolades.
At a press junket at Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, Haynes reminisced about his LGBTQ+-centered storytelling, explaining that, "Even when the subject matter isn't queer, I feel like the filmmaking is. I learned that early on from masters like Fassbinder, who was a gay filmmaker and treated his gay characters with the same severity that he treated his straight characters. He saw that all of us are subject to the domination and subjugation of the society that we all live in.
"It is how you tell the story that determines who you are and how you see it. Everything about May December is how we read and interpret the story, where the humor is and all the layers around the story bring it to life."
Doing research is central to the plot of May December and Haynes said he was selective for the research he did about Mary Kay Letourneau.
"When I was ready for it, Julianne drove me toward some of it, which was informative and specific," he explained. "For the most part, though, we really leaned into the fiction that [Screenwriter] Samy Burch had created, and the place that it ultimately became, which was in Savannah, although it was not originally set there."
Before wrapping up, Haynes promoted a new project with actor Joaquin Phoenix: "We are working on a gay love story during the 1930s set in Los Angeles. It's an interracial relationship between Joaquin's character and a Native American. What is so remarkable is that it all started from ideas that Joaquin brought to me, and we kept talking about it.
"I brought my writing partner Jon Raymond into the process, so the story credit will be shared by the three of us. It is a side to that time period that I have never seen before, so I am excited."
During the interview, Melton mentioned that the Haynes had a movie list passed around for inspiration on the set, along with a book of different looks to stimulate creativity.
"There was so much to dive into and it was exciting to explore Joe," Melton added. "I looked at certain parallels of my own life with different circumstances but similar feelings. I drew from Todd's films Velvet Goldmine and Safe, [as well as] my favorite film at that time, In the Mood for Love, where Tony Leung says so much by doing so little.
"Brokeback Mountain had me thinking about Joe's internalized grit deep inside, and how he is navigating. There was so much source material that helped with the process to figure out Joe with Todd."
Portman spoke to Windy City Times about the subtle queer aspects within the feature film: "I think there is a constant magnetism between these two characters [Elizabeth and Gracie]. Reflection is prominent in the movie, with the use of mirrors and how they reflect each other. That is both combative and magnetic. They are repulsed by what they see in each other—and they are also drawn to it. There is erotic tension between them.
"There are other queer elements in the movie as well with Cory Michael Smith's character of Georgie Atherton. This is really beautiful when investigating and claiming identities."
Moore said that the relationships in the film were heightened by Haynes shooting May December largely in chronological order. "Natalie was observing me as she went along," Moore added.
Moore and Portman were asked if they had done previous research for roles when portraying real-life people. Moore recounted learning to make a cake with a baker for one past character: "It was a very meta-process!"
Portman told stories of training as a beekeeper and observing a baby being delivered for past roles. She joked, "I couldn't believe the mother let me watch the birth! It is silly what we do sometimes, but we get to dip into all these different worlds. I've gotten to be an astronaut and a Supreme Court Justice." (Portman was referring to the NASA drama Lucy in the Sky and her upcoming Ruth Bader Ginsburg project.)
Moore and Portman said that they would love to work together again.
"You never know how other actors will be, and with something this intimate it was nice to find someone who was a true partner," Moore said. "Natalie's process is very similar to mine. She's normal, friendly and gets the job done. She's also really focused when she is working, and really into it."
Portman expressed how "generous and loving everyone was on set, to create the best environment possible."
The two had not known each other previously, but obviously bonded together through the experience. It was the first time Portman had worked with Haynes, but Moore had worked with him four times in the past, with two LGBTQ+-themed projects, Safe and Far From Heaven, as well as I'm Not There and Wonderstruck.
"When you are working with a longtime collaborator, you want to make sure the new person is included as well, because they are walking into something already established," Moore said.
May December is currently screening in select theaters and streaming at netflix.com .
