May December (Todd Haynes, 2023) wr. Samy Burch; Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charles Melton
I liked that one of the characters plays another. Metafilmic elements are always of interest to me. But I wasn't interested in the family melodramatic aspects of the film. That actors have learnt to cry while on camera doesn't mean that a given member of the audience will empathise with the emotion represented. This one didn't. ... However, the script is pretty good.
Wikipedia:
In his review following its Cannes premiere, Peter Debruge of Variety called May December an "endlessly fascinating movie" and added, "As layered and infinitely open-to-interpretation as any of [Haynes's] films, it's also the most generous and direct […] The potential for passion, transformation and subversion hangs heavy in the air". David Ehrlich of IndieWire called the film "a heartbreakingly sincere piece of high camp that teases real human drama from the stuff of tabloid sensationalism", and praised Melton's "a well-modulated and eventually rather moving performance" and Moore's "predictably sensational, soft-hard performance". The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw found the film "amusing and elegant […] delivered with a cool, shrewd precision by Todd Haynes" and described Portman and Moore's performances as containing "a potent frenmity".
Bilge Ebiri of Vulture called May December "very funny and light on its feet, but also a deeply uncomfortable movie", writing that Haynes "uses the trappings of camp to draw attention to the disconnect between what's happening onscreen and our response to it", and concluding: "It feels at times like the director himself [is] looking for the right tone with which to tell this story. He doesn’t know exactly how to feel about all this. So he feels all the things, and makes sure we do, too."
Rolling Stone's CT Jones praised Melton's performance, noting his skill and physicality in the role. "It's an inscrutable well of interpersonal grievances, power imbalances, and history, a perfect breeding ground for sharp work from screen icons Portman and Moore, the latter in her fifth film with Haynes," they wrote. "But while the two are competing to see how much cringe and humor one can conceivably fit into a movie about sexual assault and grooming, there’s Melton off to the side, quietly stealing the show."
as above
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 29 December, 2023 | Now: 2 January, 2024