# May December

May December is a 2023 American black comedy drama film directed by Todd Haynes from a screenplay by Samy Burch, based on a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik. It stars Natalie Portman as an actress who travels to meet and study the life of Gracie (Julianne Moore), the controversial woman she is set to play in a film—a woman infamous for the 24-year-long relationship with her husband Joe (Charles Melton), which began when he was 13 years old and she was 36.
The film was announced in June 2021, with Portman and Moore joining the cast. Filmed in 23 days in mid-2022 in Savannah, Georgia, it premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023, where Netflix acquired the North American distribution rights.
May December was released in select theaters in the United States on November 17, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 1, 2023. It received critical acclaim and various accolades, including four nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the 96th Academy Awards, and was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2023.

## Plot

In 2015, actress Elizabeth Berry arrives in Savannah, Georgia, to research her upcoming role in an independent film. Elizabeth will be playing Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who, in 1992 at the age of 36, was caught raping 13-year-old Joe Yoo, a schoolmate of her son Georgie, at the pet store where they both worked. During a prison sentence, Gracie gave birth to Joe's child. Twenty-three years later, Gracie and Joe are married with three children: Honor, who is at college, and twins Charlie and Mary, who are about to graduate from high school.
Elizabeth interviews Gracie and Joe about their relationship. Visiting the pet store where the couple met, Elizabeth sees the stock room where Gracie and Joe were caught having sex and reenacts the scene alone. She speaks with Tom, Gracie's first husband, and Georgie, who is now a musician, and Gracie's defense lawyer. They view Gracie in varying ways, depicting her as naïve and passive, but also show how destructive her actions were.
Joe engages in a private text conversation with an unnamed friend who shares his hobby of rearing monarch butterflies. At one point, he proposes they take a vacation together, but she rebuffs him by reminding him he is married. At the accommodation she is staying in, Elizabeth talks with the film's director and suggests the film cast a "sexier" actor for the 13-year-old character of Joe after she views auditions of prospective co-stars.
Elizabeth participates in a Q&A at the twins' high school and discusses the intimacy actors and crew members feel when shooting a sex scene. When Elizabeth says she enjoys playing morally ambiguous characters, Mary is visibly offended.
At home, Charlie shares a cannabis joint with Joe, who reveals to his son that he has never tried cannabis before. High, Joe has a breakdown and weeps in Charlie's arms.
The family, accompanied by Elizabeth, celebrate the twins' graduation at a restaurant, where they have an awkward encounter with Tom, Georgie, and the rest of Gracie's old family. Georgie proposes that Elizabeth get him a job as a music supervisor on the film in exchange for details about Gracie's life; he claims he read Gracie's diary and discovered that her older brothers sexually abused her. Georgie also threatens that if not given the job, he will disparage the film to the press when it is released. Elizabeth gets a ride home from Joe.
Elizabeth invites Joe to her accommodation, where he gives her a letter Gracie wrote him early in their relationship. The two have sex, and Elizabeth tells Joe that he still has time to start a new life. Joe leaves once she refers to his experiences as a "story," saying that story is "his life." After he leaves, Elizabeth reads aloud the letter Joe gave her, adapting Gracie's mannerisms and lisps as she does so. Joe tearfully confronts Gracie about the start of their relationship, wondering whether he was "too young." Gracie insists he seduced her, and repeatedly asks who was really in control.
The morning of graduation, one of Joe's butterflies emerges from its chrysalis. Later, the whole family watches Charlie and Mary graduate while Joe weeps alone in the crowd. As Elizabeth prepares to leave, Gracie tells her Georgie fabricated the story of abuse by her brothers.
On set of the film, which is at this point revealed to be a low-budget and fairly low-quality production, Elizabeth films multiple takes of a scene depicting Gracie seducing Joe at the pet store. While the director is satisfied, she asks to film another take, insisting that the scene is "getting more real".

## Cast

* Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry
* Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo
* Charles Melton as Joe Yoo
* Cory Michael Smith as Georgie
* Elizabeth Yu as Mary Atherton-Yoo
* Gabriel Chung as Charlie Atherton-Yoo
* Piper Curda as Honor Atherton-Yoo
* D. W. Moffett as Tom Atherton
* Lawrence Arancio as Morris Sperber

## Production

Screenwriter Samy Burch outlined the script with her husband, Alex Mechanik, and completed the screenplay on Memorial Day, 2019. Producer Jessica Elbaum came onboard after reading the screenplay. In June 2021, it was announced that Portman and Moore were cast in the film. Portman recruited Todd Haynes to direct. In September 2022, Melton joined the cast. In January 2023, it was reported that Piper Curda, Elizabeth Yu, and Gabriel Chung had joined the cast.
Principal photography took place in Savannah, Georgia, and wrapped after 23 days in November 2022. Haynes's longtime collaborator Edward Lachman was initially going to serve as cinematographer, but was replaced by Christopher Blauvelt after injuring his hip. The script, which is set in Savannah, was originally set in Camden, Maine.
Haynes said the film is partly inspired by the Ingmar Bergman films Persona (1966) and Winter Light (1963). While not a direct adaptation, he also stated that the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal "became very, very helpful to get very specific about the research, and we learned things from that relationship".

## Music

Marcelo Zarvos's score for the film is an adaptation and reorchestration of Michel Legrand's music for The Go-Between. Haynes originally played Legrand's score on set and during editing for inspiration until eventually the team "ended up embracing so many aspects of the original score that Marcelo adapted and added original music to it and then re-orchestrated it." Legrand was credited along with Zarvos.

## Release

In February 2023, Sky Cinema acquired the UK distribution rights. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on May 20, 2023. In May 2023, Netflix acquired the North American distribution rights at the Marché du Film for $11 million. The film also screened as the "Opening Night Film" at the 2023 New York Film Festival on September 29.
The film was released in select U.S. theaters on November 17, 2023, before streaming on Netflix in the U.S. and Canada on December 1. It was released by Sky Cinema in the United Kingdom on December 8.

## Reception
### Critical response

May December received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 322 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Swaddling its difficult fact-based story in a blanket of campy humor, May December is a seductively discomfiting watch." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
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 "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."
Carlos Boyero of El País wrote that Todd Haynes's approach to telling the story "makes it petty, and pointlessly pretentious".
Filmmakers Robert Eggers, Kitty Green, Bill Hader, Don Hertzfeldt, Laurel Parmet and Jeff Rowe cited May December as among their favorite films of 2023.

### Accolades

May December was ranked tenth in Sight and Sound's list of the 50 best films of 2023, out of 363 films nominated by 106 British and international participants. In France, Cahiers du Cinéma placed it second on their top 10 films of 2024. Some critics opined that there was an omission of acting nominations for Portman, Melton and Moore at the 96th Academy Awards, despite being nominated at other major awards associations. EJ Dickson of Rolling Stone cited the Academy's pattern to exclude actors of Asian descent and their lack of acknowledgement to performers under the age of 40 as the reasons Melton was not nominated.
| Award / Film Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| AACTA International Awards | February 10, 2024 | Best International Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | January 17, 2024 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | [59] [60] |
| Academy Awards | March 10, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik | Nominated | |
| American Film Institute | December 7, 2023 | Top 10 Films | May December | Won | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Screenplay, Original | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Woman Screenwriter | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Grand Dame Award for Defying Agism | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Most Daring Performance | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Artios Awards | March 7, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Feature Studio or Independent (Drama) | Laura Rosenthal, Meagan Lewis, Rebecca Carfagna, Kimberly Ostroy | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 10, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 10, 2024 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 10, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik | Nominated | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 10, 2023 | Best Film | May December | Runner-up | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 10, 2023 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | Runner-up | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 10, 2023 | Best Actress | Natalie Portman | Runner-up | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 10, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Runner-up | |
| Boston Society of Film Critics | December 10, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Runner-up | |
| Cannes Film Festival | May 27, 2023 | Palme d'Or | Todd Haynes | Nominated | |
| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival | January 2, 2024 | Breakthrough Actor | Charles Melton | Won | [68] [69] |
| Celebration of Cinema & Television | December 4, 2023 | Breakthrough Performance Award | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Best Picture | Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Best Actress | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2023 | Most Promising Performer | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 14, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | February 21, 2024 | Excellence in Contemporary Film | April Napier | Nominated | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Film | May December | 10th Place | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | 2nd Place | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | 5th Place | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2023 | Best Film | May December | 5th Place | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2023 | Best Actor | Charles Melton | 9th Place | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2023 | Best Actress | Julianne Moore | 5th Place | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2023 | Best Actress | Natalie Portman | 6th Place | |
| Dublin Film Critics Circle | December 19, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch | 3rd Place | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Best Picture | May December | Runner-up | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Best Actress | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Breakout Award | Charles Melton | Runner-up | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 21, 2023 | Golden Orange | Alex Mechanik | Runner-up | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 5, 2024 | Best Picture | May December | Nominated | [77] [78] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 5, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Runner-up | [77] [78] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 5, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | [77] [78] |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 5, 2024 | Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema | Todd Haynes and Samy Burch | Won | [77] [78] |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | May December | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2024 | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | November 27, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | November 27, 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 6, 2024 | Best Picture | May December | Nominated | |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 6, 2024 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | Nominated |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 6, 2024 | Best Lead Actress | Natalie Portman | Nominated |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 6, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Won |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 6, 2024 | Breakthrough Performance | Charles Melton | Won |
| Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | January 6, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Film | Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Lead Performance | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Supporting Performance | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best First Screenplay | Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik | Won | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Film | May December | 5th Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | 5th Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Performance | Charles Melton | 5th Place | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 11, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch | 1st Place | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | December 10, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch | Runner-up | |
| Middleburg Film Festival | October 22, 2023 | Visionary Director Award | Todd Haynes | Won | |
| Mill Valley Film Festival | October 16, 2023 | Lifetime Achievement: Collaboration | Todd Haynes and Christine Vachon | Won | |
| Montclair Film Festival | October 30, 2023 | Director Award | Todd Haynes | Won | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 6, 2024 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | 2nd Place | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 6, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Won | |
| National Society of Film Critics | January 6, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Circle | November 30, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Circle | November 30, 2023 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 15, 2023 | Top 10 Films | May December | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Online | December 15, 2023 | Breakthrough Performer | Charles Melton | Won | |
| People's Choice Awards | February 18, 2024 | The Movie Performance of the Year | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | February 18, 2024 | The Movie Performance of the Year | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | January 9, 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | January 9, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Santa Barbara International Film Festival | February 10, 2024 | Virtuoso Award | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Motion Picture – Drama | May December | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Charles Melton | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | February 18, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | January 8, 2024 | Best Picture of the Year | May December | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | January 8, 2024 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | January 8, 2024 | Best Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |
| Set Decorators Society of America Awards | February 13, 2024 | Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film | Jess Royal and Sam Lisenco | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Film | May December | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Director | Todd Haynes | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Actress | Natalie Portman | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Runner-up | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Score | Marcelo Zarvos | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Supporting Performance | Charles Melton | Runner-up | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Breakthrough Performance | Charles Melton | Runner-up | |
| Variety & Golden Globe's Breakthrough Artist Awards | May 19, 2023 | Breakthrough Artist Award | Charles Melton | Honoree | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Charles Melton | Won | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 18, 2023 | Best Actor | Charles Melton | Runner-up | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 18, 2023 | Best Supporting Actress | Julianne Moore | Runner-up | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | April 14, 2024 | Best Original Screenplay | Samy Burch | Nominated | |