Todd Haynes is the latest auteur to use Cannes as a launching pad for a potential Oscar nominee, bringing his delightful comedy-drama “May December” to the festival on Saturday.
Premiering less than an hour after Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” conquered Cannes, Saturday night’s torrential downpour didn’t stop many moviegoers from watching Haynes’ film. And not only because the film reunites the director with his muse Julianne Moore, with whom he worked wonderfully on “Safe” (1995) and “Far from Heaven” (2002), the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination. for Moore’s performance and one for Haynes’ Screenplay.
Add the excitement of Moore acting opposite Natalie Portman; how can this not be a winning recipe for success? With a super-smart script from debut screenwriter Samy Burch (and a “story by” credit from Alex Mechanik), plus a surprising twist from Charlie Melton, “May December” more than lives up to those considerable expectations. The film is on the hunt for a distributor, so depending on which studio acquires the rights to the film and when they choose to release it, it could be a versatile player in several categories at the upcoming Oscars, including best picture. .
The film tells the story of actress Elizabeth Berry (Portman), who will play Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Moore), a Georgian woman who became a notorious tabloid figure when she engaged in a sexual relationship with a boy 12 years old. , Charly. Twenty years have passed and Grace is trying to keep the past in the past. But in order to prepare for her next role, Elizabeth visits Gracie and Charlie (Charlie Melton), now 36, who are married and have children, and her arrival exposes the fractures beneath their carefully constructed surface. “May December” is very loosely based on Mary Kay Letourneau, who had an affair with her teenage student Vili Fualaau.
A two-man match in its purest form, Moore and Portman deliver the equivalent of an Olympic fencing match. Using Burch’s words and Haynes’ direction as their blades, the two perform a masterclass in technique, with one woman feinting while the other arrows, delivering one of the best performances of their acclaimed careers. No kidding, they are so good.
Moore, five-time Oscar nominee – “Boogie Nights” (1997), “The End of the Affair” (1999), “Far from Heaven”, “The Hours” (2002) and “Still Alice” (2014), which ultimately won Best Actress – gives Gracie an endearing lisp and snappy edge (as well as icy resolve). It’s a brave performance, one that makes you worry at various times about a woman who did something unthinkable. There are so many jaw-dropping scenes for awards voters to dig into.
The same goes for Portman, who earned three career nods for “Closer” (2004), “Jackie” (2016) and her best actress winner “Black Swan” (2010). At first, Portman’s Elizabeth is insinuating and always polite. But her Hollywood chic barely conceals a certain voyeuristic cruelty. It’s his delivery of an invigorating, “that’s what grown-ups do” line towards the end of “May December” that brings all of the film’s themes back into focus.
So here’s the thing… how do you campaign for such talented and loaded female leads to get Oscar attention?
In the history of Best Actress, only five films managed to receive double nominations in this category – “All About Eve” (1950) with Anne Baxter and Bette Davis, “Suddenly, Last Summer” (1959) with Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, “The Turning Point” (1977) with Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine, “Terms of Endearment” (1983) with MacLaine (who won) and Debra Winger and “Thelma & Louise” (1991) with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon.
There has been a growing disdain for actors, widely regarded as top performers, campaigning in support of recognition, more widely known as “category fraud”.
Dotted throughout history, the worst misdemeanors can be seen with Al Pacino’s supporting actor named turn for 1972’s ‘The Godfather’ (which led to the actor boycotting the ceremony) or Tatum O ‘Neal winning supporting actress for 1973’s “Paper Moon,” despite being in just about every scene. In recent years, the topic arose when Rooney Mara successfully campaigned as a supporting actress for Haynes’ “Carol” (2015), with her co-star Cate Blanchett pushing for the lead actress. This awards campaign sparked a debate within the industry community. According to Matthew Stewart, who professionally tracks screen times for Oscar-nominated performances on his Screen Time Central website, Mara appears in nearly 60% of the film. It is the second longest performance ever recognized in the category. Mara ultimately lost to Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl,” another performance that many considered a standout.
For movie studios and awards strategists, it’s about putting an actor (and a movie) in the best position to grab the Academy’s attention. Is it right or just? No, because it prevents other performers who give backing performances from being recognized. Take Sarah Paulson, also of “Carol,” or O’Neal’s “Paper Moon” nominated co-star Madeline Kahn. So will Portman be in the lead while Moore competes for supporting actress or vice versa?
Francois Duhamel
With all the chatter about the two powerful women of “May December,” Charlie Melton, better known as Reggie Mantle on The CW’s “Riverdale” TV series, nearly steals the movie. The Best Supporting Actor category has been a welcoming place for Hollywood newcomers and relative unknowns — like Troy Kotsur for “CODA” or Kodi Smit-McPhee for “The Power of the Dog” (2021 ). Melton’s choices to play a man who never really had the chance to be a teenager are remarkably executed, a testament to Haynes’ amazing touch with his actors and what he can get out of it.
It’s been 21 years since Haynes landed his only Oscar nomination for writing “Far From Heaven.” So how long will the Academy wait to recognize one of our greatest living filmmakers? Hopefully it’s not too long.
Where the film might find the most love from Writers Branch members. We know how much the Academy loves movies about movies, and a movie that follows an actor’s process could be the tipping point that propels him to the forefront.
Even though the music is one of the film’s best features, it’s probably ineligible because it uses previously recorded material. The Music Branch’s rules state that a film must contain at least 35% original music to qualify. However, you can still look for the film in other handcrafted candidate lists, such as Christopher Blauvelt’s photography and Affonso Gonçalves’ film editing.
Fun fact, Will Ferrell, who was present at the premiere, could earn his first Oscar nomination as the film’s producer if he’s nominated for Best Picture. But, of course, it’s a long way between May and December – in the awards landscape, of course.