Reality is often stranger than fiction, and few contemporary filmmakers understand this better than Todd Haynes, who has made a career from taking inspiration from real-life figures or entire periods in the past and repurposing them into masterful examinations of the human condition, each one beautifully handcrafted by a director who has consistently proven his skillfulness and versatility. We find that even his more divisive projects tend to yield interesting observations in some way, which is the case with May December, in which he takes the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, a schoolteacher whose entire life was thrown into disarray when it was revealed that she had been having an affair with a 13-year-old boy, which eventually turned into a long-term relationship that unsettled her entire community. Changing the names of the characters and locations, as well as only lifting the most essential elements to the point where it becomes a case of being inspired by the story rather than a factual account, Haynes crafts a deliriously offbeat film that focuses on a mid-level actor venturing into the small Southern community where this woman and her family have been living for years, intent on spending some time with her as she prepares to play this woman in an upcoming film – but her presence becomes somewhat troublesome when she begins to pry slightly too deep for anyone’s comfort, as well as discovering unsettling secrets that make her rethink the entire project. As bold and ambitious as many of his previous works, particularly those made earlier in his career, where he was still interested in disrupting the world of cinema in his way, May December proves to be one of Haynes’ most audacious projects in quite some time, and while has never truly faltered as a filmmaker, it feels like a return to form in a significant way, with the level of detail with which he approaches the satirical screenplay by Samy Burch being truly impressive, and just one of the many reasons to celebrate this strange but captivating film.

He also tends to make films in pairs, or at least we can find correlations between certain films, which is especially notable when looking at more recent efforts in comparison to his earlier work. In the case of May December, the forerunner is not clear, but there is something comparable between this film and [safe], particularly in how they are tense domestic dramas about women descending into some form of paranoia-fueled madness when they realize not everything is as it seems. Haynes has carved a solid niche for himself as a director who captures a lot of complex issues surrounding female identity, which is something that has proven to be quite rare with male directors, although he has successfully managed to circumvent any of the potential controversies that would come with telling such stories from a decidedly male perspective. Haynes leaps directly into discussing some fundamentally challenging issues that face the two protagonists of the film – there isn’t any time for exposition at the start, and we are immediately introduced to them in the midst of what is going to become quite a contentious relationship, one that starts as friendly and congenial, but eventually devolves into a harsh psychologically-charged game of cat-and-mouse between two characters that are intrinsically (and intentionally) flawed, but yet genuinely believe themselves to have done nothing wrong. In between these broad moments, Haynes offers insightful and often quite disorienting discussions on womanhood, since neither Elizabeth nor Gracie is the best representatives for their particular vocation, but yet genuinely believe themselves to be valuable members of society, which in turn covers a lot of ground in terms of the kind of material with which Haynes was working. All the expected themes are given some attention, whether it is motherhood (which is something that the director has explored in some of his other films, although not extensively) and female desire, two themes that have been explored in the past, but very rarely with this level of attention to detail, and it becomes increasingly clear that the intention was to offer a different side of the conversation, rather than settling on the same conventions.

It’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Haynes being able to make a success of a project like May December, which seemed to have the potential to be controversial without a strong director who could choose the most fitting approach to the material. The collaboration between the director and screenwriter has never been more vital than it is here (and considering it has been quite some time since he wrote one of his films, it is clear that Haynes has placed a lot of faith in the work of the writers with which he collaborates), and we find that Burch develops quite a unique screenplay that offers the elements that we would expect in terms of plot progression and character development, but also additional aspects that were not only far from compulsory, but frankly quite unexpected, which is perhaps the reason why the film is extremely surprising in terms of how it conveys certain details. Many may not have anticipated a comedy when entering into this film, which by all accounts has a plot that we would more commonly associate with a dense, complex character-based drama. Yet, it is so much more interesting to see how Haynes and Burch decide to infuse the film with a pitch-black sense of humour, the kind of comedy that doesn’t immediately make itself obvious, but rather quietly infiltrates the foundation of the film, gradually heightening the sense of absurdity and moral ambiguity that lingers over the film. It’s not always an inherently funny film, and the humour is used as a device to demonstrate the almost unbearable tension that exists between these characters, but it does help immensely when it comes to navigating the trickier narrative territory that the film was interested in exploring, which is certainly not something that many of us may have expected based on the premise. It’s not only superbly well-written, but Haynes’ approach to developing some of its fundamental ideas is incredibly interesting, and rather than resting on his laurels (since it could be argued that this story is entirely within his wheelhouse), he chooses to develop them in ways that are much more complex than we may have initially anticipated, one of the many aspects of May December that warrant our praise.

However, it would be foolish to pretend like the main aspect that piqued interest in May December in the first place is anything other than the presence of the two leading actors, particularly since they are under the direction of Haynes, who has proven to be exceptional when it comes to drawing out memorable performances from his actors. Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are two of our most gifted performers, and their presence in the film is an immediate point of attraction that I’d suspect drew the majority of viewers to at least become interested in the film, which is certainly not an undeserved tactic, since they are very rarely in anything not worth our time. There is a lot of duality that drives this film, and casting the right actors was key to unearthing this aspect of the story – it needed two performers who were quite different in terms of age, temperament and personality, specifically because one of the most fascinating aspects of the film is watching one gradually transform into the other, which could only be impactful if the roles were quite different. Portman has quite a challenge ahead of her, since not only is she tasked with playing this precocious and over-eager actor set out to spend time with the woman who she is playing in a film, but she also needs to slowly begin to take on her traits, which has to be a gradual process, and she most certainly delivers what was expected. However, the film is a two-hander, and this process of blurring the characters together could only be possible had the other half of the pair been as strong, and as someone who has consistently proven her incredible skillfulness, Moore is up to the task – Portman could only morph into this character if Moore did the required work to make her character complex enough for these changes to occur since mimicry is only effective if there is something worth mimicking, which is essentially what these performances are built on. It’s a difficult concept to describe, which is perhaps why it feels so incredibly effective, but once we get to the final climactic moments, and we are presented with two almost mirror images of the same character, it becomes clear that the only way for this film to leave such an impression is through the exceptional work done by its two leads, who turn in some of their best performances to date.

There is something profoundly old-fashioned about May December, which is as high praise as a film like this could hope to possibly receive because we have unfortunately gone past the point where these classical dramas can exist since the general belief is that a film like this can only be effective if it does something revolutionary in some way or another, which is inherently flawed logic that has prevented many great filmmakers from pursuing projects in their original vision. The film plays like a very traditional melodrama, one that is built on the strength of its two central performers, who are paired together and asked to guide the narrative forward based solely on the connection formed between them as they pursue specific ideas. Of course, this is only the starting point, as Haynes is far more concerned with the delivery than he is with the final destination, which is why the film relishes its ambiguity in a way that a lesser director would have struggled to convey. The film has a very peculiar tone – some moments are played completely straight, but yet the encroaching score (which is beautifully composed by Marcelo Zarvos) suggests that we should take this moment and look deeper, which is especially important when it comes to some of the line delivery and images on screen, since there is something much more complex simmering beneath the surface of this film, and it is clear that there are more complex emotions to be gleaned through the process of unpacking its various qualities and trying to understand exactly what is meant by a specific moment. It also helps that Haynes never tries to hide the absurdity of some of these ideas, particularly in the first act, when the foundation of the story is being laid down. It could have been easy to just dismiss the more illogical aspects, or at least soften them enough that they are not notable, but Haynes instead chooses to amplify this idea, since May December is not striving to be realistic. Haynes has rarely been someone who pays much attention to realism, and as a result, we have a lavish, over-the-top melodrama with a dark comical sensibility that exists solely to highlight the more deranged aspects of the human condition, which is shown in vivid detail. It can sometimes be uncomfortable, and Haynes is certainly not against drawing our attention to some of the more awkward aspects of their interactions, and it all ultimately serves an important purpose in terms of developing many of these vitally important narrative details.

Countless aspects of May December warrant our praise, but perhaps it’s Haynes’ easygoing, self-assured sense of direction that is most compelling since it feels cohesive and meaningful in a way that is bound to be quite surprising. This film feels like both a step forward in terms of Haynes’ penchant for experimenting with style and subverting common ideas, and a throwback to not only his earlier work but also a tribute to the kind of tense but deeply entertaining films that he encountered in his youth. There have been efforts to point out similarities between this film and iconic works like All About Eve and Persona, and these are not surface-level comparisons, since there is truly something to be said about how the director takes similar concepts – duality of identity, jealousy and the experience of being a woman in a world dictated by patriarchal, heteronormative structures – and weaves them into an engaging and deeply provocative film that combines sprawling melodrama with the most sinister kind of dark humour, which is once again a trait that can only emerge from a director who is entirely at ease with his artistic vision. There is very little that Haynes has left to prove, and at this point, he is merely pursuing the projects that fascinate him on a conceptual level, which is likely what drew him to May December, a film that is driven by a sense of melodrama and curiosity towards the human condition that feels insightful and moving, while also allowing him to return to his origins of making scathing, darkly comical satires that showcase the sheer absurdity of society and its tendency towards placing people into categories – and how those same people can eventually become so comfortable with their labels, they will fight to defend it to the very end, even if it is less than ideal. This is an engaging, complex and wickedly funny film from a director with a unique perspective, and the ability to craft a multilayered, irreverent film that carries a lot of meaning, especially on some subjects that many would consider taboo, but which Haynes is more than comfortable exploring, knowing the potential the story has to make quite an impression, which is one of his most defining traits, and something we see represented in every frame of this film.