May December is an unconventional tale of relationships and the idea of love. May December experiments with right and wrong, attempting to show the underbelly of society through a frowned upon manipulative relationship. With a beyond talented cast, this film tackles a heavy narrative with intense roles of emotional baggage. Julianne Moore is a particular stand out for me as she represents a sweet innocent from the outside which slowly shattered to reveal the manipulative, broken women underneath.
I had no expectations of this film but once it ended I didn’t feel fulfilled, the feature was often dull through the slow play of narrative and the overall colour palette. It felt like something was missing, aside from the outstanding performances which I truly enjoyed. Each actor made this film enticing, the words alone would have been boring but Portman, Moore and Melton helped bring emotion and life into the films lacklustre narrative. The fabricated story was just a little to ‘real’, it didn’t apply much drama which is what I felt was missing. If you want to watch a steady plot with little action or development, a film which feels like a documentary but isn’t… you might enjoy May December a little more than me.
Overall, May December (2023) promised an engaging story with a strong cast and interesting journey. Although the film was unconventional and highlighted the secret side to human nature it wasn’t particularly the most engaging film released last year. As a whole, the film was very one note, it barely developed or encouraged any change in the characters. Natalie Portman’s character was used as a catalyst but instead, she simply hovered around and observed instead of really making her presence known. I wish we saw her interject more and attempt to infiltrate the ‘safe’ home Moore’s character had built up.
6/10 Probe Points
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