May, December, and Lesser Months

May December poster courtesy of Netflix

Todd Haynes’ “May December,” inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau case, was screened on this past 26th Annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, making quite the wave as it was shot and filmed in our very own Savannah, with a hatful of SCAD students operating as part of both cast and crew. With exceptional performances from Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton, “May December ” has already achieved the “Modern Classic” status, with its four Golden Globe nominations and wide berth of critical acclaim. With a plot that looks into the relationship of a couple twenty years after their notorious romance through the lens of an actress, one would imagine that the level of scandal in this film would be enough to put down a horse. However, my opinion of this film was similar to the event of a hot cup of tea slowly acclimating to room temperature: just okay.

 Let me explain.

Starting off with elements I really enjoyed, the first and foremost has to be location. There was something surreal about watching places we pass through on a day-to-day basis on the big screen; who would have guessed that Natalie Portman would hang around in Gallery Espresso? Same goes for the Mansion at Forsyth Park, as well as the house on Tybee Beach. Despite the film’s perpetually sinister tone, and equally sinister score, every scene felt familiar and somehow more real because of these locations. Furthermore, seeing fellow Performing Arts majors sprinkled amongst the mix also felt amusing. 

On a similar note, not a moment was dull for visuals in this movie. From clean, effective editing to masterful color grading, each still from “May December” is poster-worthy. I, for one, cannot get the image of Melton and Portman carrying the endangered monarch butterfly cases across the serene yet lavish living room out of my mind. Furthermore, the atmosphere created by this incredible roster of leads was awe-inspiring. Although I could not tolerate the way Julianne Moore’s character spoke, her embodiment of Gracie was a shake-worthy one. Having said that, I was most surprised by Charles Melton’s performance, seeing to the fact that this was his most serious role yet. Joe, an empty nester at the young age of 36, is more than just a man who grills hotdogs and watches home improvement videos. Melton portrays Joe’s complex set of emotions in such a sincere, unexaggerated way; the hurt and realization masked by silence and confusion is precisely the way one would begin to process all what had happened to him. Last but not the least, Natalie Portman hurls her hammer into their house of glass with such a twisted sense of zeal. Not only does it affect her own sense of self, but shatters the foundation of their relationship forever. 

The downfall of this film, in my opinion, began with its escalation. After the second act when characters began, bit by bit, losing trust, losing touch and ultimately unraveling, the potential of the momentum felt promising. Elizabeth fully pierces through the veil of Joe and Gracie’s twisted, corrupt relationship; Joe finally begins to comprehend the wrongness of it all and grows some spine and confronts Gracie; we build and we build and we build until. Until. For me, the crescendo did not crescendo enough, the climax did not climax enough and things kind of simmered down until it all came to a standstill. I understand that there was a purpose to Haynes’ containment of the eruption, that the eerie uncertainty and withholding was a choice, but can a girl just get a nice, messy and predictable apogee??? The art of a climactic peak exists for a reason – what fun is a roller coaster without the descent? Personally, I felt like I was waiting for something bigger to happen until the very second the credits began rolling and boy, how disenchanting that was. 

“May December” is a film that frustrates me insufferably, but it is, at the same time, very frustratingly good. Despite my qualms, the film is inarguably, a masterpiece — in its making, in its casting, and of course, its location (totally unbiased). So if you’ve watched this, I would love to know if I am alone in feeling like a certain opportunity was missed, a beautifully disastrous havoc left un-wreaked, and a whole May till December effaced and extinguished without so much of a whimper.