May December (2023)

 

Genre: Romance/ Thriller

Time: 1h 53mins

Director: Todd Haynes

Quick Summary: Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past

I am sad but I am also confused 

Now I'm not really sure how I feel about this film, it feels so melodramatic for no reason. This is labelled as a comedy but honestly, I didn't see this film as funny, just confusing because really I didn't understand anything more than when I started this. Sure, I know a bit more than when it started playing, doesn't mean it makes sense.

I think what this is is unsettling and what makes it so unsettling is that at the centre of all this is the boy, now a grown man, but who in many ways is still stuck at twelve. It didn't really hit me until halfway through the film during an argument when the guy breaks down and you basically watch this poor guy crumble into a small child emotionally. It was honestly really sad to watch him being Gaslight and manipulated by this woman who had groomed him out of a normal life. The woman is the other half of why this is so unsettling. I don't know what is wrong with her but she is actually insane. She feels no remorse or guilt for taking this young boy years ago and even after 12 years she still treats the whole situation as normal. A 36-year-old dating a 13-year-old is not normal. I never really knew what to make of her, I was really unsure if she was just so caught up in her own lies or delusion or if she was just a master manipulator. Watching her interact with her then-husband just made me so sad.

This has an intriguing story, and you get the feeling right from the start that there is something even more sinister about those characters that are about to be revealed at any point. However, that never happens. In fact, in the end, nothing happens. Things remain where they are, it appears that no one is who they appear to be, and I was left even more confused.

Personally, I saw Natalie Portman's character as just unnecessary. Really she was just boring, and I honestly didn't care for her. I think watching these other characters would have been more interesting as a lot of things felt hidden because of this new person. Or even from the guy's point of view as he matures and grows out of his groomed life. 

There would be these strange moments when really simple scenes would be played out as extremely dramatic too. Like for example, in a scene where the woman opens the fridge, it dramatically zooms in with music as she says with a straight face “I don't think we have enough hot dogs”. Then there are scenes where nothing happens and we get literally zero information from it. 

This is a pretty strange film that I don't fully know how to describe. The acting from the main two is brilliant in my eyes, playing such complicated characters isn't easy. But the lack of information given makes this a difficult watch.

P.S This is based on a real thing that happened

5/10

"Joe Yoo: I'm saying, what if I was too young?

Gracie: Well...

[starts to tear up, scoffs]

Gracie: *You* seduced *me*.

Joe Yoo: But I was 13 years old.

Gracie: Don't give me that.

Joe Yoo: But I was.

Gracie: I don't care how old you were. Who was in charge?

Joe Yoo: What?

Gracie: Who was the boss? Who was in charge? Who was in charge?"