You’ll struggle to resist the seduction of what Haynes, Moore and Portman have created.
In portraying a real, living person, how far should an artist go to get to the heart of their subject? Withdirector Todd Haynes’s new film, Natalie Portman plays a woman probing those boundaries. Her character, an actor named Elizabeth Berry, is trying—with the kind of dogged determination generally reserved for hard-nosed detectives—to make sense of the woman she’s recently been cast as.
That woman is Gracie Atherton-Yoo. Now in her late 50s, Gracie’s life is simple, ordered; she is a Southern housewife who bakes cakes for a living and arranges flowers just for fun. When Elizabeth makes her way to meet Gracie at her home in Georgia, Gracie wonders aloud if she has enough hot dogs on hand. So what could she have done to warrant a film being made about her life?
We discover this through flashes of the tabloid covers that helped to pay for her house, through photographs and notes, and later through the stories that Gracie and her family reveal to Elizabeth: In 1993, a 36-year-old Gracie “had an affair” with Joe, the best friend of her then-13-year-old son.
All this likely sounds like the makings of a deeply self-serious, Oscar-baiting drama. But while Haynes has managed to both tap into the rapture of forbidden love (
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore Work Sly Wonders in ‘May December’'May December' is a 'wicked, complex delight.' VF chief critic rilaws reviews:
Read more »
‘May December’ Review: Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore Play Different Angles on a Tabloid EnigmaIn the experimental montage that opens “Persona,” a bare-chested teenage boy caresses a screen upon which the faces of two women slowly morph back and forth. It’s easy to imagine Todd Haynes being …
Read more »
Julianne Moore Embraces Jewel Tones in Louis Vuitton for ‘May December’ Premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2023Julianne Moore attended the premiere of “May December” at Cannes Film Festival wearing a custom emerald green gown by Louis Vuitton.
Read more »
Natalie Portman Sparkles in Dior Couture Dress for ‘May December’ Premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2023A little rain didn’t prevent stars like Natalie Portman from hitting the red carpet on Saturday evening in Cannes, France. Portman attended the premiere of her upcoming film “May December” at Cannes Film Festival.
Read more »
‘May December’ Review: Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore Dazzle, But Todd Haynes’ Drama Is Too Detached for Its Own GoodAn actress preparing for a biographical movie role gains access to a couple whose sizable age gap made tabloid headlines 20 years earlier in this multilayered drama, also starring Charles Melton.
Read more »
‘May December’ Review: Natalie Portman And Julianne Moore Brilliantly Navigate Real To Reel Life In Todd Haynes’ Latest – Cannes Film FestivalTodd Haynes has a way with female stars. I would even call him the new-age George Cukor in that regard. Whether in Carol with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, or his HBO limited series Mildred Pierc…
Read more »